This application is a request for a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) that will enable Dr. Johnson to begin developing a programmatic line of research in the assessment and treatment of the traumatic effects of domestic violence on battered women and their children. Intimate partner violence is a pervasive social problem with negative psychological consequences for both women and children. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is extremely common in battered women, especially those in domestic violence shelters. Symptoms of PTSD may compromise battered women's ability to effectively access resources and establish them and their children. However, no research has systematically and empirically evaluated the treatment of PTSD in battered women in shelters. Thus, research on treatment with this vulnerable population is sorely needed. Dr. Johnson's training goals are to: (1) Increase understanding of treatment development process, with a focus on methods for developing and evaluating treatments for PTSD in naturalistic settings, (2) Acquire expertise in conducting research with, and providing clinical treatment for, battered women with PTSD, (3) Develop a better understanding of the effects of exposure to domestic violence on the children of battered women and how this impacts the treatment needs of battered women; (4) Learn new assessment techniques for children appropriate for measuring the effects of exposure to domestic violence, (5) Develop more advanced skills in research design, methodology, and statistical analyses, particularly techniques relevant to clinical trials, and (6) Improve grant writing and manuscript preparation skills. These training goals will be achieved through (1) the resources available at the Brown University Medical School, (2) the high quality mentorship provided by Drs. Caron Zlotnick, Ernest Jouriles, Ronald Seifer, and Cris Sullivan, and the expertise of the assembled consultant team (Drs. Mary Ann Dutton and Janice Krupnick), (3) focused coursework, trainings, and clinical experiences, and (4) the proposed research project. The proposed research plan involves further developing and empirically testing a new treatment for battered women in shelters with PTSD or subthreshold PTSD. The proposed treatment, Helping to Overcome PTSD through Empowerment (HOPE) incorporates the empirical and theoretical literature on battered women, trauma, and PTSD. It is a nine session individual cognitive-behavioral treatment that emphasizes stabilization and empowerment. The specific research aims are to: (1) Refine HOPE and its manual, gain clinical experience with the treatment procedures and develop HOPE therapist training procedures and adherence and competence rating scales and (2) Evaluate the initial acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy of HOPE in a randomized controlled study, comparing HOPE combined with standard shelter services to standard shelter services alone.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
1K23MH067648-01
Application #
6598489
Study Section
Interventions Research Review Committee (ITV)
Program Officer
Light, Enid
Project Start
2003-07-01
Project End
2008-03-31
Budget Start
2003-07-01
Budget End
2004-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$114,224
Indirect Cost
Name
Summa Health System
Department
Type
DUNS #
076902923
City
Akron
State
OH
Country
United States
Zip Code
44309
Fedele, Katherine M; Johnson, Nicole L; Caldwell, Jennifer C et al. (2018) The impact of comorbid diagnoses on the course of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in residents of battered women's shelters. Psychol Trauma 10:628-635
Holmes, Samantha C; Johnson, Nicole L; Rojas-Ashe, Elsa E et al. (2016) Prevalence and Predictors of Bidirectional Violence in Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence Residing at Shelters. J Interpers Violence :886260516670183
Pinna, Keri L M; Johnson, Dawn M; Delahanty, Douglas L (2014) PTSD, comorbid depression, and the cortisol waking response in victims of intimate partner violence: preliminary evidence. Anxiety Stress Coping 27:253-69
Johnson, Nicole L; Johnson, Dawn M (2013) Correlates of Readiness to Change in Victims of Intimate Partner Violence. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma 22:127-144
Perez, Sara; Johnson, Dawn M; Wright, Caroline Vaile (2012) The attenuating effect of empowerment on IPV-related PTSD symptoms in battered women living in domestic violence shelters. Violence Against Women 18:102-17
Wright, Caroline Vaile; Johnson, Dawn M (2012) Encouraging legal help seeking for victims of intimate partner violence: the therapeutic effects of the civil protection order. J Trauma Stress 25:675-81
Johnson, Dawn M; Zlotnick, Caron (2012) Remission of PTSD after victims of intimate partner violence leave a shelter. J Trauma Stress 25:203-6
Perez, Sara; Johnson, Dawn M; Johnson, Nicole et al. (2012) The role of PTSD and length of shelter stay in battered women's severity of re-abuse after leaving shelter. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma 21:776-791
Johnson, Dawn M; Zlotnick, Caron; Perez, Sara (2011) Cognitive behavioral treatment of PTSD in residents of battered women's shelters: results of a randomized clinical trial. J Consult Clin Psychol 79:542-51
Wright, Caroline Vaile; Perez, Sara; Johnson, Dawn M (2010) The Mediating Role of Empowerment for African American Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence. Psychol Trauma 2:266-272

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