Preliminary evaluation of a video-based intervention for older adult victims of violence

The present study evaluated a brief, video-based intervention for older adults designed to: provide psychological education regarding common reactions to crime; offer information about healthy coping strategies to manage crime-related symptomatology; and increase awareness of effective safety planning strategies. Following reporting to police, 116 older adult crime victims were randomly assigned to receive either standard advocate-based services plus the video-based intervention or standard advocate services alone. Results indicated that older adult victims assigned to the video condition and assessed later that day exhibited greater awareness of crime-related symptoms, healthy coping strategies, and safety planning strategies than did the older adult victims assigned to standard practice of care. However, despite knowledge gains, and in contrast to our predictions, no differences on measures of anxiety or depression were evident between the treatment conditions at 6-week follow up.