Intervention for Battered Sheltered Women With Substance Use Randomized Trial
Intervention for Battered Sheltered Women With Substance Use Randomized Trial
This study developed and assessed an innovative, high-reach, easily implementable, low-cost
 computer-delivered intervention (Safe and Healthy Experiences; The SHE Program) that
 addresses known barriers in early identification and intervention with sheltered battered
 women with IPV (intimate partner violence) and substance use.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) and substance use are significant and interconnected public
 health problems facing women. For battered women, the presence of substance use increases the
 risk of revictimization and the risk of more severe abuse. Battered women's shelters provide
 emergency shelter to approximately 300,000 women and children each year. A prime time to
 intervene with battered women might be when they enter a shelter and have already initiated a
 change in their lives. A shelter-based intervention for battered women that addresses
 substance use problems might reduce the risk of substance use, reduce the risk of future IPV,
 and improve utilization of substance use treatment and community resources. The objective of
 this R34 Award was to develop and assess an innovative, easily implementable, low-cost,
 computer-delivered intervention, the SHE Program (Safe and Healthy Experiences) that
 addresses known barriers in early identification and intervention for battered sheltered
 women with substance use issues. SHE is based on motivational interviewing (MI) a
 well-defined intervention strategy that has yielded particularly promising results in a range
 of clinical issues and a range of patient populations, including substance using women. MI is
 consistent with an empowerment model, which is a highly recommended intervention model for
 victimized women. The R34 had two distinct phases to assess the SHE Program with battered
 sheltered women with substance use issues. During the Development Phase, the research team
 conducted focus groups and developed the intervention to meet the needs of our target group,
 developed the software for the computer-delivered intervention, and conducted an open trial
 with 10 participants. During the Pilot Study Phase, the investigators conducted a two-group,
 randomized controlled study with a sample of 50 battered sheltered women who reported
 substance use difficulties within the last three months, which provides the necessary
 groundwork to examine the efficacy of the SHE Program in a future, large clinical trial. The
 SHE Program was found to be feasible, acceptable and efficacious in improving outcomes for
 our vulnerable target population. The program has the potential to be widely disseminated
 while maintaining treatment fidelity across battered women shelters and may hold promise for
 IPV populations with substance use difficulties in other settings.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Women who are 18 or older, residents of a battered women's shelter, who are at risk
 substance users within the last 3 months as determined by the screener, the
 NIDA-Modified ASSIST, and endorse IPV within the last 3 months as determined by the
 screener, the WAST (Woman Abuse Screening Tool)

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Inability to provide informed consent (e.g., due to florid psychosis or other clear
 cognitive impairment)

 -  Inability to understand English