Telemental Health Delivery of Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) for Rural Women Veterans Who Have Experienced Military Sexual Trauma

Abstract

This pilot study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy of a skills-focused treatment delivered via video teleconferencing (VTC) to women veterans living in rural areas who had experienced military sexual trauma (MST). The Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) program focuses on teaching emotion management and interpersonal skills in 8 to 10 sessions. The STAIR program may be a good fit for individuals in rural areas for whom social isolation and low social support are particularly problematic. Clinic-to-clinic VTC was used to connect a STAIR therapist with veterans for weekly individual therapy sessions. The participants (n = 10) reported high satisfaction with the intervention and would recommend the program to others. There were significant pretreatment to posttreatment improvements in social functioning, Hedge's g = 1.41, as well as in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, Hedge's g = 2.35; depression, Hedge's g = 1.81; and emotion regulation, Hedge's g = 2.32. This is the first report of the successful application of a skills-focused treatment via VTC for women veterans.