Comparing RISE and advocacy-based enhanced care for Veterans experiencing intimate partner violence
Recovering From IPV Through Strengths and Empowerment (RISE) Versus Advocacy-based Enhanced Care as Usual for Patients Experiencing IPV
This project will test whether the RISE counseling program or a single-session advocacy-based enhanced care helps Veterans who experienced intimate partner violence in the past year improve their confidence in managing safety and overall health.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 172 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Boston University Academic / other |
| Locations | 3 sites (Boston, Massachusetts and 2 other locations) |
| Trial ID | NCT06906302 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This project enrolls Veterans receiving care at selected VA sites who report physical, psychological, or sexual IPV in the past 12 months and can consent to recorded intervention sessions. Participants will be assigned to either RISE—up to eight counseling sessions covering topics such as social support, health effects, and resources—or a single-session advocacy-based enhanced care as usual (ECAU) that provides education, safety planning, and resource information. Outcomes including self-efficacy and mental health symptoms will be measured with surveys at baseline and roughly 12 weeks later. Those with severe cognitive impairment, active suicidal or homicidal intent with a specific plan, or untreated/unstable mania or psychosis are excluded.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Veterans receiving care at participating VA facilities or affiliated CBOCs who have experienced IPV in the past 12 months and can provide informed consent including permission to record sessions.
Not a fit: People with severe cognitive impairment, active suicide or homicide intent with a plan, or untreated/unstable mania or psychosis are excluded and unlikely to benefit from these brief interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, one of these approaches could give VA patients experiencing IPV a practical counseling option that strengthens self-efficacy, mental health, and safety planning.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has shown that both individualized counseling and advocacy-based interventions can improve self-efficacy and mental health for IPV survivors, but direct comparisons of multi-session RISE versus single-session advocacy approaches are limited.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * patients receiving care at an enrolled site/affiliated Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) * report experience of past-year physical, psychological, and/or sexual IPV on an established screening tool used to detect IPV in VHA, and * be able to provide informed consent including permission to have intervention sessions recorded Exclusion Criteria: * severe cognitive impairment, * suicide or homicide intent with a specific plan * untreated or unstable symptoms of mania or psychosis
Where this trial is running
Boston, Massachusetts and 2 other locations
- VA Boston Healthcare System — Boston, Massachusetts, United States (Recruiting)
- VA Minneapolis Healthcare System — Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States (Recruiting)
- VA Philadelphia Healthcare System — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Katherine M Iverson, PhD — V Boston Healthcare System, BU CASchool Medicine Psychiatry
- Study coordinator: Katherine M Iverson, PhD
- Email: Katherine.Iverson@va.gov
- Phone: 857-364-2066
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.