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UW study seeks troops with stress

Phone-based program is free and confidential

UW stress study seeks to determine if free over-the-phone counseling will help servicemembers who have experienced trauma. File photo

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A telephone-based program, the UW Stress Check, provides a free and confidential way to support servicemembers who have questions or concerns about the effects of trauma or about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

As the war in Afghanistan grinds on, an estimated 11 to 20 percent of veterans experience some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.

Presently, the University of Washington, Seattle, has undertaken a five-year study to determine if free, confidential, over-the-phone counseling will help servicemembers who have experienced a traumatic event at any point in their lives.

The phone sessions are intended to help them explore how the reactions to trauma are affecting their lives, to navigate the bewildering number of options available to help, and to talk about what steps they want to take, if any, to address their stress.

A body of research does exist to support this approach.  

Several years ago, clinical psychologists Drs. Denise Walker and Debra Kaysen led a UW study that involved servicemembers concerned about their alcohol use.  

Dubbed Warrior Check-Up, participants utilized a one-session phone counseling intervention. Research gathered from the study suggested that the "over-the-phone" approach worked as participants cut their drinking in half by the end of six months.

When it comes to PTSD and over-the-phone counseling, Walker, who works in the UW's School of Social Work, and Kaysen, who works in the UW's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, devised the UW Stress Check.

The study is currently recruiting active-duty, Guard and reservists to participate.  

Participants can receive up to $200 for completing all the steps in the study. The endeavor is funded by the Department of Defense. 

"It is an opportunity to check in about the reactions they are having and if they are interested, giving them a chance to explore their options for making a change," wrote Walker and Kaysen in an email.

"We are comparing how this type of conversational approach compares with traditional ways of providing treatment options to servicemembers experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress."

Both researchers stressed that the servicemember's chain-of-command will not have access to any of the participant's information.

"Protecting the participants' privacy is our top priority," Walker and Kaysen explained.

They went on to explain how the study works.

The first step is to call 866.866.0137 and talk with a UW Stress Check team member. Potential participants will be asked several questions to see if the project is a good fit for them.

Then participants are invited to complete a longer telephone interview. If eligible and still interested, the participants will be invited to enroll in the full study.

The study is conducted telephonically, and participation involves five to eight telephone calls over seven months.  

"This is an opportunity for them to talk about the symptoms related to the traumatic event, how that experience has gotten in their way, or is getting in the way of relationships, work and school, to help them weigh the pros and cons of seeking help," concluded Walker.

To participate, call 866.866.0137, email ucheckup@uw.edu or visit uwstresscheck.com.

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