# Randomized Controlled Trial of AboutFace: A Novel Video Storytelling Resource to Improve Access, Engagement, and Utilization of Mental Health Treatment among Veterans with PTSD

> **NIH VA I01** · RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Anticipated Impacts on Veterans Health Care: Behavioral health problems among Veterans have raised
awareness of the critical need for more reliable, effective, and accessible means to recognize those in need,
direct them to help, and ensure that they receive the best treatment available. Research has suggested that
people are most responsive to advice and education when it comes from someone to whom they can relate.
AboutFace is a peer education resource for Veterans that was developed, launched, and recently updated
by the National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) based on HSR&D funded pilot data. AboutFace features
personal stories of Veterans and is designed to improve mental health treatment engagement among
Veterans with PTSD and related comorbidities. The study team, which includes the NCPTSD, recently
completed a usability assessment and pilot feasibility trial of AboutFace under HSR&D grant #PPO 14-360-
1. Data from this study (1) guided improvements to AboutFace for increasing PTSD treatment initiation and
engagement; and (2) demonstrated the feasibility of the methodology for the proposed study. If AboutFace
is found to increase Veterans’ initiation and engagement in PTSD treatment, study data will have broad
implications for overcoming barriers to care for Veterans with PTSD and other stigmatized conditions.
Background: At least 1 in 10 Veterans meet criteria for PTSD related to their military experience. Treatment
for PTSD is widely available, and national dissemination initiatives have increased Veterans’ access to best-
practice interventions. However, treatment-seeking remains strikingly low; most Veterans with PTSD do not
seek mental health services due to perceived stigma and other barriers. NCPTSD developed and launched
AboutFace, a public awareness campaign to help Veterans recognize PTSD and motivate them to seek
evidence-based care. Since its development, AboutFace has earned three major awards and has had tens
of thousands of visits. Despite the tremendous potential for AboutFace to reduce stigma, improve attitudes
toward mental health treatment seeking, and to increase PTSD treatment initiation and engagement, it has
yet to be formally evaluated or effectively implemented within VHA practice settings. In addition to providing
needed data on the efficacy of AboutFace and identifying strategies for effective implementation within VHA,
this study will provide a greater understanding of the role and value of digital storytelling interventions to
improve access to care for a wide range of stigmatized conditions.
Objectives: The primary objectives of the study are to examine the impact of AboutFace on a) increasing
PTSD treatment initiation and engagement; and b) decreasing stigma and negative attitudes toward mental
health services. It is anticipated that Veterans in the AboutFace condition will be more likely to access and
complete treatment than those receiving enhanced Usual Care (eUC) for PTSD. Finally, qualitative
interviews with k...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9701021
- **Project number:** 5I01HX002474-02
- **Recipient organization:** RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** ANOUK L GRUBAUGH
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9701021

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9701021, Randomized Controlled Trial of AboutFace: A Novel Video Storytelling Resource to Improve Access, Engagement, and Utilization of Mental Health Treatment among Veterans with PTSD (5I01HX002474-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9701021. Licensed CC0.

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