ABSTRACT

Access to mental health services, particularly for veterans residing in underserved communities, remain scarce. One approach to addressing availability barriers is through the use of group-based transdiagnostic or unified treatment protocols. One such protocol, Safety Aid Reduction Treatment (START), previously termed False Safety Behavior Elimination Treatment (FSET), has received increasing empirical support. However, prior research has only examined this treatment among civilians with a primary anxiety diagnosis. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend prior research by examining the acceptability, feasibility, and utility of START among veterans, particularly those living in underserved communities, and across a wider array of diagnoses. Veterans (n = 22) were assessed prior to, immediately after, and one month following the 8-week treatment. The majority of veterans found START useful and acceptable. Additionally, recruitment and retention rates suggest that the treatment was feasible. Notably, results revealed reductions in overall anxiety, depression, and safety aid usage, which were maintained throughout the brief follow-up period. These findings add to a growing body of literature highlighting the utility of transdiagnostic approaches in the amelioration of various anxiety and related disorders. Limitations include the small sample size and uncontrolled design.

摘要

获得心理健康服务的机会仍然很少，特别是对于居住在服务欠缺社区的退伍军人而言。解决可用性障碍的一种方法是使用基于组的跨诊断或统一治疗方案。一种这样的协议，安全援助减少治疗 (START)，以前称为错误安全行为消除治疗 (FSET)，已获得越来越多的实证支持。然而，之前的研究只在患有主要焦虑症的平民中检查了这种治疗方法。因此，当前研究的目的是通过检查 START 在退伍军人中的可接受性、可行性和效用，特别是那些生活在服务欠缺社区的退伍军人，以及更广泛的诊断来复制和扩展先前的研究。退伍军人 ( n = 22) 在 8 周治疗之前、之后和一个月后进行了评估。大多数退伍军人发现 START 有用且可以接受。此外，招聘和保留率表明该治疗是可行的。值得注意的是，结果显示总体焦虑、抑郁和安全辅助设备的使用有所减少，并在整个简短的随访期间保持不变。这些发现增加了越来越多的文献，强调跨诊断方法在改善各种焦虑和相关疾病方面的效用。局限性包括样本量小和设计不受控制。