(PS14-62) Utilization of Mental Health Resources and Self-help Interventions Early on in the Recovery Following Sexual Trauma

Early intervention in the trauma recovery process can be critical in mitigating downstream negative mental health effects (e.g. self-blame, isolation, stigmatization, distrust). However, the frequency with which sexual trauma survivors use mental health treatment and self-help interventions in the first few months following trauma exposure is unknown. As part of a 3-month longitudinal study, 203 women-identifying participants, aged 19-86 years old (M=37.99, SD=12.29) who had been sexually assaulted in the past month, completed an online survey regarding their use of mental health services and self-help strategies to cope with the sexual trauma. Most participants identified as white (66.8%), non-Hispanic or Latina/x/o (86.1%), and heterosexual (64.9%). Within one month of their traumatic experience, the majority reported never having seen a therapist or counselor (69.5%), 23.2% reported currently seeing a therapist or counselor, and 7.4% had seen a therapist since their experience. Of those currently in therapy within one month (n= 47), 38.3% were in trauma-specific treatment: 23.4% in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), 6.4% in Prolonged Exposure (PE), 8.5% in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), 23.4% were in therapy but not receiving trauma-specific treatment, and 38.3% did not know. Additionally, at one month, 34.5% (n=70) reported using a self-help strategy to cope with their traumatic experience. Of those, 30% reported using mindfulness (n=21), 27.1% used relaxation techniques (n=19), 14.3% practiced yoga (n=10), 28.6% participated in physical activities (PA; n=20). Over time, overall use of therapy increased by just 6% from one to three months.  By three months, 48% (n = 24) of those engaged in therapy were using trauma-specific treatment. However, the total engagement in self-help strategies decreased after both two months (23.2%, n=47) and three months (22.7%, n=46). Utilization of therapy and self-help strategies was relatively low in the present sample of sexual trauma survivors, especially given the average amount of distress participants reported after three months (PCL-5=31.45, PHQ=17.38). These results highlight the need to improve awareness of, access to, and dissemination of a range of evidence-based treatments for trauma survivors, including mind-body interventions and health behaviors.