Exposure to sexual violence disproportionally impacts women Veterans and can have profound negative impacts on daily functioning. Current treatments for sexual violence focus on psychiatric symptoms and ignore frequently co-occurring physical and psychosocial concerns. Exercise can improve trauma-related physical, mental, and psychosocial health conditions and may help women who have experienced sexual violence. Yet, women Veterans experience many barriers to participating in exercise and prefer interventions that are tailored to their preferences. This proposal will develop and test an exercise intervention tailored specifically to women Veterans who have experienced sexual violence. Treatment development will be informed by women Veterans with histories of sexual violence and their providers. Feasibility and acceptability will be tested, and outcomes will be explored to inform future research. This intervention is urgently needed to address gaps in integrative care and persistent trauma-related health concerns among women Veterans with histories of sexual violence.
Veteran self-identifies as woman
has a history of sexual violence at any point in their lifetime
currently does not meet physical activity level guidelines
reports some functional difficulties that indicate some interference in daily life
does not identify a safe and private location for exercise participation
severe drug or alcohol use disorder within the past year
neurological disorder
systemic illness affecting central nervous system function
Single group
Exercise
BehavioralAdapted with input from phase 1
Feasibility - recruitment interest
ratio interested of those approached for the workshop
feasibility, enrollment rate
Ratio enrolled (consented) of those approached
feasibility qualitative via Narrative Evaluation of Intervention Interview
Identification of challenges and facilitators during the recruitment process as assessed by study staff as well as feedback from focus group participants generated using the Narrative Evaluation of Intervention Interview (NEII). This is an interview composed of 16 open ended questions that allows participants to evaluate the process and outcomes of the intervention. Reviewers will generate a list of themes based on the responses to this interview.
acceptability - Veteran adherence
Attendance rate for the 12-week intervention
Functional Status - The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS-2)
The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS-2) is a 36-item self-report tool that assesses functioning in the past 30 days among six specific domains (i.e., cognition, physical mobility, self-care, social, domestic/occupational, and participation in society) and provides an overall disability score. Higher scores indicate greater disability
Physical Function - arm curls
number of curls in 30 seconds
Physical Activity Level - Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ)
The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) is a validated brief inventory assessing activity domains and aerobic activity in a typical week. Duration in minutes of exercise multiplied by number of times per week, in the past 7 days. Total minutes per week calculated; mean reported.
PTSD - PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) for DSM-V
The PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) for DSM-V is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the extent to which an individual is bothered by each PTSD symptom during the past month using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Higher scores indicating more severe symptoms
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