Greater reactivity to stressors as an indicator of service utilization and need in veteran women with sexual assault histories.

In 30 seconds

This study examined whether stressor reactivity was associated with service use and resource needs among 153 veteran women with sexual assault histories who participated in a randomized clinical trial. Participants were assessed three times over 4 months; mixed-effects models related stressor reactivity to service-utilization outcomes. Higher average reactivity between participants was associated with greater treatment attendance, based on self-report and chart review, and with reporting more resource areas being worked on or still needed. Within-person changes in reactivity were not associated with these outcomes, and reactivity was not associated with success obtaining resources.

Key findings

• Higher between-person stressor reactivity was associated with greater treatment attendance by self-report and chart review, with small-to-medium effects.
• Higher between-person reactivity was associated with more resource areas participants reported working on and needing to work on.
• Within-person reactivity showed no evidence of association with these outcomes; reactivity was also unrelated to success obtaining resources.

Why it matters

The findings suggest that greater symptom response to stressor exposure may help identify veteran women who are more likely to attend treatment and recognize unmet resource needs. This distinction between average differences across people and changes within an individual is relevant when considering how stressor and symptom monitoring might inform efforts to connect people with care.

What to keep in mind

The study was limited to veteran women with sexual assault histories, and assessments covered 4 months. The reported associations do not establish that stressor reactivity causes service use.