Pilot Evaluation of AboutFace: Novel Peer Education Resource for Veterans

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the AboutFace peer education website for the purpose of reducing stigma and improving attitudes toward seeking mental health services among Veterans.

Detailed Description
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Research suggests that at least 1 in 10 Veterans will meet criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to their military experience. Treatment is widely available to Veterans with PTSD, and national dissemination initiatives have increased Veterans' access to best practice interventions. However, treatment seeking remains strikingly low among Veterans with PTSD. In fact, most Veterans with PTSD do not seek mental health services due to perceived stigma and other associated barriers. The National Center for PTSD recently developed and launched AboutFace, a peer education resource for Veterans. The investigators of this study believe that AboutFace has tremendous potential to reduce stigma and improve attitudes toward seeking mental health services among Veterans. However, it has not yet been evaluated. Investigators have partnered with the National Center for PTSD to launch this mixed methods pilot evaluation of AboutFace. There will be two phases to this study. During Phase I- Usability, 20 Veterans will be recruited to participate in individual interviews during which they will be asked to describe the ease of use of the AboutFace website for the researchers. During Phase II- Feasibility, 60 Veterans will be randomized to one of two conditions- About Face or Usual Care. All participants will complete several brief assessments measuring PTSD symptoms and attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Participants will then be randomized to either receive a link to the About Face website or to receive a link to a general online brochure about PTSD. After two weeks, participants will complete the assessment measures once again to determine any changes in attitudes toward seeking mental health services and potential changes in PTSD symptoms.

Official Title
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Pilot Evaluation of AboutFace: A Novel Peer Education Resource for Veterans

Conditions
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PTSD

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: AboutFace Website


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Must be 18 years of age Recommended for PTSD treatment following evaluation Internet access English Speaking Exclusion Criteria: Minors under the age of 18 Non-Veterans Negative for PTSD

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Phase II- Experimental Group<br>Participants were provided with instructions and a web link for accessing the AboutFace website after the baseline assessment. | Other: AboutFace Website<br>* AboutFace is an informational website that utilizes digital storytelling to describe PTSD symptoms and different treatments for PTSD.<br>|
| No Intervention: Phase II- Usual Care Group<br>Participants were provided with instructions and a web link for accessing some online PTSD education materials after the baseline assessment. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Endorsed and Anticipated Stigma Inventory (EASI) | THE EASI assesses for perceptions of treatment effectiveness, stigma, and external barriers to treatment seeking. Answers are ranked from 1 to 5 with 1 being Strongly Disagree and 5 being Strongly Agree and higher scores are indicative of greater stigma. Total scores can range from 40 to 190. Phase I participants did not participate in Phase II (the clinical trial portion of the study) and were not assessed using this measure. | pre-treatment (baseline) & post-treatment (two-week) assessment | 
| PTSD Checklist (PCL-V) | The PCL-V is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses PTSD severity. Individual item responses can range from 0-4 with 0 being Not At All and 4 being Extremely and total scores can range from 0 to 80. Higher numbers on the PCL-V are indicative of greater PTSD severity. Phase I participants did not participate in Phase II (the clinical trial portion of the study) and were not assessed using this measure. | pre-treatment (baseline) & post-treatment (2-week) assessment | 
| PTSD Treatment Initiators | percentage/rate of PTSD treatment initiation at post assessment (2-weeks) Phase I participants did not participate in Phase II (the clinical trial portion of the study) and were not assessed using this measure. | two weeks post assessment | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Mental Health, PTSD, Stigma, Peer Education, Web Education, Self Help