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VA, DUKE STUDY FOCUSES ON WOMEN'S SEXUAL TRAUMA
WHILE ON MILITARY DUTY -- Almost eight in every
10 women in the Persian Gulf War said they
endured sexual harassment.
Story here...
http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-821085.cfm
Story below:
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Duke, VA study focuses on women's sexual trauma
while on military duty
By Leslie Williams, The Herald-Sun
DURHAM -- Women coming back from active military duty have enough on
their emotional plates without dealing with the trauma of sexual
assault.
But the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says almost eight in every
10 women in the Persian Gulf War said they endured sexual harassment --
with 6 percent saying they experienced an attempted or actual sexual
assault.
More recent studies of veterans using VA clinics suggest that nearly
half of women raped during military service experience post-traumatic
stress disorder.
While Jennifer Strauss just wishes the problem of stress caused by
sexual assault would go away, she says she knows things are not that
simple.
So she took the helm of a study being conducted by the Durham VA and
Duke University Medical Center looking at a way for women to take charge
of their own treatment and overcome the lingering effects of
post-traumatic stress disorder caused by sexual assault.
Strauss is a core investigator at the Durham VA's Health Services and
Primary Care Center and an assistant research professor in the
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke Medical Center.
She said the methods used in the study, if effective, eventually could
be applied to the broader population of all veterans suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of combat trauma.
The study will use one-on-one sessions between each participant and
clinician, both by phone and in person, combined with a treatment called
"guided imagery."
Through the use of 30-minute audio CDs, participants in the trial will
use the guided imagery daily to learn how to physically and mentally
relax.
"We'll teach them the relaxation skills first so they have the skills to
deal with anxiety," Strauss said.
The treatment is not new, Strauss said, but its application to
post-traumatic stress sufferers is. More classical uses of guided
imagery take place in medical -- rather than psychiatric -- settings.
"Guided imagery is about paying attention to the here and now," Strauss
said of the technique's application to post-traumatic stress sufferers.
"It's defined to move [participants] from victim to survivor, and
everybody grows from that experience."
Strauss said the VA Medical Center has recruited 10 participants so far
for the study of 30 women. The trial is being funded through a $175,000
grant from the Samueli Institute, which has a contract with the
Department of Defense.
The audio CDs focus on making participants aware of their breathing and
thoughts, with the intent of constructing a safe metaphorical space.
Strauss said it can be likened to the women entering their own caves, a
mental space where they can retreat when anxiety starts to take over.
If the treatment proves effective, she said, it would be ideal in
treating veterans suffering from trauma because the population tends to
be extremely mobile and often unable to make regular face-to-face visits
with clinicians.
It also would be a low-cost way to deal with post-traumatic stress
disorder, she said.
While one-on-one psychiatric care is effective for dealing with trauma,
it is costly for the sufferer financially and emotionally, Strauss said.
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Larry Scott --
