Psychological First Aid for Victims of Crime

Criminal victimization represents a major public health problem in the United States. As many as one-third of adults have been the victim of a violent crime (rape/sexual assault, physical assault, or armed robbery) during their lifetime, and individuals exposed to violence are at risk for developing chronic psychiatric problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse. The high prevalence of psychopathology among crime victims underscores the importance of effective interventions for this population. As such, considerable work has validated formal treatments for victims who have already developed chronic trauma-related difficulties. Very little effort, however, has been devoted to testing acute interventions that can be implemented soon after a crime event (i.e., within 4 weeks) with the ultimate aim of preventing longer-term psychiatric problems. Despite the limited research on acute interventions for crime victims, researchers recently developed an acute intervention called Psychological First Aid (PFA) for individuals exposed to natural disasters or other catastrophic events. Important for present purposes, however, researchers have argued that the primary PFA components (Contact and Engagement, Stabilization, Information Gathering, Safety Planning, Practical Assistance, Connection with Social Supports, Information on Coping, and Linkage with Collaborative Services) also have direct relevance for victims of crime. Thus, we propose that PFA could represent an ideal approach for responding to the acute needs of crime victims, with the goal of reducing their risk for development of chronic psychiatric problems. Importantly, although PFA has been strongly advocated by trauma experts, there have been no empirical tests of the model, highlighting the importance of the proposed research. Thus, this R34 project aims to implement and refine research protocols required for a full-scale randomized controlled trial of PFA for crime victims. Specifically, this project will examine the feasibility of a protocol for recruiting, assessing, and retaining acute crime victims in the study (Aim 1). Additional preliminary work that is essential for treatment research also will be completed, including the development and evaluation of a PFA fidelity instrument (Aim 2) and the refinement and testing of protocols for training paraprofessionals (i.e., Victim Advocates) to deliver PFA with a high level of fidelity (Aim 3). Finally, a controlled pilot study will examine the effects of PFA on the key psychiatric outcomes (Aim 4).