Testing the Efficacy of Three Brief Web-Based Interventions for Reducing Distress Among Interpersonal Violence Survivors

Interpersonal violence (IPV) is common among college students and is associated with greater distress and school dropout. A web-based intervention designed to increase perceived present control has been shown to be effective in decreasing distress in this at-risk population (Nguyen-Feng et al., 2015). The present study evaluated the efficacy of 2 new versions of this intervention relative to the original intervention. Psychology students (N = 314) from a large Midwestern university, most of whom identified as White (72%) and female (63%), were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: the original present control intervention, an enhanced present control intervention, or a present control plus mindfulness intervention. Self-report measures of distress (depression, anxiety, stress symptoms), perceived stress, and worry were completed pre- and postintervention. IPV history was reported by 35% of the sample. Analyses of covariance assessed whether there were differences in efficacy across the 3 conditions or interactions between intervention condition and IPV status; significant interactions would indicate that students with and without a history of IPV responded differently to the 3 interventions. There were significant Condition × IPV interactions for distress symptoms and worry. Paired t tests suggested that the 2 new versions of the intervention decreased symptoms more than the original intervention, and that the enhanced present control intervention decreased symptoms the most among students with an IPV history (mean within-group d = −.48). This brief web-based intervention may be an effective way of targeting skills and decreasing general distress among students with (and without) an IPV history.