Recovering from Intimate Partner Violence through Strengths and Empowerment (RISE): Initial Evaluation of the Clinical Effects of RISE Administered in Routine Care in the US Veterans Health Administration

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common concern among military Veterans that negatively impacts health. The United States’ Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has launched a national IPV Assistance Program (IPVAP) to provide comprehensive services to Veterans, their families and caregivers, and VHA employees who use or experience IPV. Grounded in a holistic, Veteran-centered psychosocial rehabilitation framework that guides all facets of the program, the IPVAP initiated the pilot implementation of a novel intervention called Recovering from IPV through Strengths and Empowerment (RISE). This evidence-based, person-centered, trauma-informed, and empowerment-oriented brief counseling intervention is designed to support those who experience IPV and to improve their psychosocial wellbeing. This program evaluation study describes clinical outcomes from patients who participated in a pilot implementation of RISE in routine care. We examined changes in general self-efficacy, depression, and valued living, as well as treatment satisfaction among patients who received RISE and completed program evaluation measures at VHA facilities during the pilot. Results from 45 patients (84% women) indicate that RISE was associated with significant pretreatment to posttreatment improvements in self-efficacy, depression, and valued living (Cohen’s d s of 0.97, 1.09, and 0.51, respectively). Patients reported high satisfaction with treatment. Though preliminary results were similar across gender and IPV types, findings from the evaluation of the pilot implementation of RISE demonstrate the intervention’s feasibility, acceptability, and clinical utility in routine VHA care and inform the scalability of RISE. Additionally, findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness and acceptability of RISE with men. Modification to RISE and its implementation are discussed, which may be useful to other settings implementing IPV interventions.

Substance Use and Associated Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence Among MSM in Los Angeles, California

“…To improve the health and safety of MSM who disclose they are already experiencing IPV, recovering from IPV through strengths and empowerment (RISE) is another promising transdiagnostic intervention that utilizes motivational interviewing delivered over a series of sessions (Iverson et al, 2022). RISE is clinician delivered and the content, which was designed to be gender neutral, has demonstrated acceptability among men (Iverson et al, 2022).…”

“…To improve the health and safety of MSM who disclose they are already experiencing IPV, recovering from IPV through strengths and empowerment (RISE) is another promising transdiagnostic intervention that utilizes motivational interviewing delivered over a series of sessions (Iverson et al, 2022). RISE is clinician delivered and the content, which was designed to be gender neutral, has demonstrated acceptability among men (Iverson et al, 2022). In addition to universal screening, education, and empowerment, supplemental targeted interventions to support reduction of IPV that are tailored to risk factors among the most affected MSM populations (i.e., those who engage in substance use, are younger, experience depression, are economically insecure, and/or experience multiple minority stressors) are needed.…”

Integrating Intimate Partner Violence Screening Programs in Primary Care: Results from a Hybrid-II Implementation-Effectiveness RCT

“… 21 , 22 , 73 , 74 IF’s utility in increasing the uptake of services among screened women is important because VHA offers advocacy, evidence-based psychotherapies, 27 and IPV-specific interventions that can improve psychosocial health. 70 , 75 …”

PTSD and Depression Symptoms Increase Women’s Risk for Experiencing Future Intimate Partner Violence

“…Identification and effective treatment of mental health symptoms may strengthen efforts to prevent and reduce IPV, but relatively little research to date has specifically focused on this topic [72]. There is evidence that some psychosocial counseling and advocacy-based interventions for women who experience IPV, including samples of veterans, lead to improvements in mental health and possible reductions in IPV experience [73][74][75][76]. In addition, Iverson et al [14] found that women interpersonal trauma survivors who experienced substantial reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms during cognitive behavioral therapy for PTSD were less likely to report experiencing IPV at a 6-month follow-up compared to women who did not experience similar reductions in these mental health symptoms, adjusting for baseline experiences of IPV.…”