Grateful for the mentorship of my co-authors, Drs. Anka Vujanovic, Michael Zvolensky, Eric Pedersen, and David Francis, the dedication of our RAs, and the generosity of our participants. This work was also supported by funding by the NIAAA, National Register of Health Service Psychologists, and APA!
To be clear, this approach is not intended to replace gold-standard, evidence-based, trauma-focused treatments for PTSD and AUD. Rather, brief digital interventions can provide:
❇️ Adjunctive support during or while waiting for care
❇️ Support for those just beginning their path to recovery
Importantly, participants rated the integrated PFI as more acceptable, helpful, and credible, despite its brevity and lack of therapist involvement. These findings underscore the potential public-health value of scalable, low-barrier, brief interventions for trauma-exposed individuals who drink.
Using a pilot RCT design, the integrated PFI (vs. an alcohol-only PFI) led to greater reductions in PTSD severity, lower daily drinking quantity, and greater motivation to reduce drinking. Effects were small (as expected for a brief tx) but were above the effects of an active comparison condition.
Excited to share that the main outcomes paper from my dissertation has been published! We evaluated a single-session, computer-based integrated personalized feedback intervention (PFI) targeting hazardous drinking, PTSD symptoms, and anxiety sensitivity.
Here the link ➡️ tinyurl.com/4y98r3hp
🫣 the PHQ is one of the most widely used measures in clinical and research settings! Highlights the need for better measures, or at the very least, developing and empirically testing clearer instructions...
Brief interventions for the win! Check out our findings below ⬇️