Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening (PEARL) to Promote Healing Engagement for Survivors of Violence

Temple University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Violence and Victimization

Treatments: Behavioral: PEARL (Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening)

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT07277816

5K01NR021275-02 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

272926

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a photo-elicitation intervention called PEARL (Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening) can promote healing engagement in survivors of interpersonal violence. It will also learn about the feasibility and acceptability of PEARL. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does PEARL reduce barriers to help-seeking for trauma? Does PEARL improve trauma coping self-efficacy? Does PEARL change post-trauma cognitions and readiness for recovery? Is PEARL feasible and acceptable to survivors of interpersonal violence?

Researchers will compare people who receive PEARL immediately to people on a waitlist (who receive PEARL three months later) to see if PEARL improves healing engagement and help-seeking behaviors.

Participants will:

• Complete baseline surveys about their trauma history, mental health, healing, and help-seeking behaviors
• Be randomly assigned to receive PEARL immediately or after a 3-month wait
• Receive a photography-focusing prompt and create photos over two weeks (those in the immediate group or after the waiting period)
• Participate in a reflective listening interview about their photos
• Complete follow-up surveys immediately after the intervention and one month later
• Participate in a one-month follow-up interview about their experience

Full description

This is a randomized waitlist control feasibility study of the PEARL (Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening) intervention for women survivors of interpersonal violence. The study will enroll 40 participants recruited through local community organizations, interpersonal violence email listservs, and social media platforms.

Randomization and Study Arms:

Interested participants will complete an online baseline questionnaire through Qualtrics and be randomly assigned (1:1) to either:

1. Immediate Intervention Group (n=20): Receives PEARL within two weeks of enrollment
2. Waitlist Control Group (n=20): Receives a resource referral list (standard of care) and completes PEARL three months later

Intervention Protocol:

The PEARL intervention consists of two components:

1. Participants receive a photography-focusing prompt and have two weeks to create photographs
2. Participants complete a reflective listening interview about their photographs

Assessment Schedule:

• Baseline: Demographics, trauma history, and outcome measures
• Post-intervention: Outcome measures completed immediately after the intervention (trauma coping self-efficacy, post trauma cognitions, healing)
• One-month follow-up: Outcome measures and qualitative interview (trauma coping self-efficacy, post trauma cognitions, healing, help-seeking actions, depression, anxiety, PTSD).

The waitlist control group completes an additional baseline survey three months after initial enrollment, which serves as their pre-intervention assessment.

Data Analysis: Feasibility will be assessed through completion rates, and research assistant evaluations. Acceptability will be evaluated through participant surveys and follow-up interviews. Preliminary impact on healing engagement and help-seeking will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests. Qualitative data from open-ended survey questions, research assistant evaluations, and follow-up interviews will undergo thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative findings will be integrated to provide a comprehensive understanding of PEARL's feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact.

Community Engagement: The study incorporates feedback from Community Advisory Board (CAB) and Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) members throughout the research process. Purposive sampling strategies will be employed to achieve maximum diversity in participant age.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• History of interpersonal violence (IV) - identifies as a survivor of interpersonal violence
• Able to complete an interview in English
• Able to provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Under 18 years of age
• Does not identify as a woman (male participants excluded)
• No history of interpersonal violence
• Unable to complete an interview in English
• Unable to provide informed consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Immediate Intervention Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm receive the PEARL intervention within two weeks of enrollment. They are given a photography-focusing prompt and two weeks to create photographs reflecting their healing journey. After two weeks, they participate in a reflective listening interview about their photographs. Participants complete surveys at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at one-month follow-up, as well as a qualitative interview at one-month follow-up.

Treatment:

Behavioral: PEARL (Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening)

Waitlist Control Group

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm receive a resource referral list (standard of care) and wait three months before receiving the PEARL intervention. They complete baseline surveys at enrollment and again at three months (pre-intervention baseline). After the three-month waiting period, they receive the same PEARL intervention as the immediate group: a photography-focusing prompt, two weeks to create photographs, and a reflective listening interview. They complete post-intervention and one-month follow-up assessments following their intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: PEARL (Photo-experiencing and Reflective Listening)