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Promoting Resilience Among College Student Veterans Through an Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy App: An Intervention
Andrew Thomas Reyes1, Venkatesan Muthukumar2, Tirth R Bhatta3
1School of Nursing, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 453018, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-3018, USA. andrewthomas.reyes@unlv.edu.
Community Mental Health Journal
|April 11, 2020
Summary
A new smartphone app intervention for college student veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was found to be highly acceptable. The app improved resilience and reduced PTSD symptoms, paving the way for future testing.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health
- Digital Health
- Military Psychology
Background:
- Stigma surrounding mental health conditions and care hinders military veterans' access to services.
- College student veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) face unique challenges in seeking mental health support.
- Previous development of a non-stigmatizing smartphone app intervention for PTSD in veterans exists.
Purpose of the Study:
- To refine a previously developed smartphone app intervention for college student veterans with PTSD.
- To test the acceptability of the app prototype using a mixed-method approach.
- To gather qualitative feedback for improving the intervention's content, delivery, and structure.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-method study design was employed.
- Nine college student veterans utilized the smartphone app intervention.
- Participants completed pre-post measures and a post-intervention qualitative interview.
Main Results:
- The smartphone app intervention demonstrated high acceptability among participants.
- Qualitative analysis yielded insights for enhancing the app's content, delivery, and structure.
- Despite declining adherence over time, participants showed consistent improvements in resilience, PTSD symptoms, and rumination.
Conclusions:
- The refined app intervention is suitable for further feasibility and efficacy testing.
- A collaborative approach is crucial in the early development stages of self-management PTSD interventions for veterans.
- Digital mental health tools show promise for improving veteran mental healthcare access and outcomes.
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