A culturally adapted family intervention for rural Pacific Island veterans with PTSD.
Julia M WhealinAthena C YonedaDawna NelsonTodd S HilmesMichelle M KawasakiOscar H YanPublished in: Psychological services (2018)
To pilot Koa, rural Pacific Island dyads (28 veterans and 28 family members) participated via video teleconference and completed pre- and post- intervention measures. Outcome data indicated that participants perceived the intervention to be highly acceptable, useful, and relevant. Relationship quality scores substantially improved postintervention as measured by the Dyadic Relationship Scale (95% CI [-10.97, -1.84], t(22) = -2.9, p = .008, d = -0.53 for veterans; 95% CI [-11.06, -2.47], t(21) = -3.28, p = .004, d = -0.68 for family members). Family caregiving burden also improved significantly. The positive results of this investigation support the development of culturally adapted mental health interventions for culturally distinct subgroups of veterans and their families. (PsycINFO Database Record