Longitudinal Outcomes of Women Veterans Enrolled in the Renew Sexual Trauma Treatment Program

Abstract

Forty-three female veterans who were starting the 12 weeks Renew treatment program for survivors of sexual trauma at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center were recruited for this study. Forty-one participants enrolled in a within subjects design longitudinal study. Participants completed structured interviews at pre-treatment (baseline) and post-treatment, and at 6, 9, and 12 months from baseline. Thirty-seven completed the treatment (10 % dropout) and 32 completed the entire study. Similar to previous findings on Renew, posttraumatic symptoms decreased immediately after graduation with large to medium effect sizes. In addition, up to 70 % had reliable clinical change at the 95 % confidence interval. However, the main hypothesis of this study was to test the stability of treatment outcomes at 12 months from baseline. Not only were these changes sustained 12 months from baseline, positive factors of self-esteem and quality of life continued to increase over time. Given participants’ level of trauma and their chronicity of symptoms prior to Renew, results suggest that Renew is an effective treatment for female veterans with multiple traumas across the life span including military sexual trauma, and a variety of life stressors including homelessness, substance abuse, and medical problems.