Telemental Health Services for Reaching Rural Victims of Crime: Phase 2

• NCJ Number: 308630
• Author(s): Lissette Saavedra; Alexandra Tonigan; Jennifer Counts; Ye Pogue; Kiersten Johnson; Sherri Spinks; Molly Hayes; Shannon Blakey; Antonio Morgan-López; Arnie Aldridge
• Date Published: January 2024
• Length: 112 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2020-V3-GX-0073
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored

Annotation

This final report of the Phase 2 process evaluation contributes to existing literature on telehealth mental health services for victims of crime by adding evidence in support of the effectiveness of telehealth interventions due to their ability to improve mental health outcomes, and it highlights the importance of broad fidelity assessment in ensuring the consistent delivery of telehealth services; the final report also provides insights into cost considerations of telehealth interventions which may inform decision-making and resource allocation.

Abstract

This Phase 2 final report provides background on the TeleFuturo Foundation’s programming to reach rural victims of crime (VOCs); it describes activities specific to conducting a rigorous process evaluation of that programming, including activities around developing fidelity, outcome, and cost measures based on the process evaluation. The authors of the report also describe their bidirectional collaboration with key partners to update the Implementation Guide. The Phase 2 study, the Process Evaluation, builds on the foundational work of Phase 1’s Programs and Services for Victims of Crime Phased Evaluation Research. The Process Evaluation used a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection methods that utilized a strong community-based participatory approach, with inputs from partners throughout the phase. The final report describes Phase 2’s pilot study methodology, evaluation of cost measures, and analyzes the results, which indicated several factors that were important when considering work with clients who are VOCs living in rural areas. The report discusses critical factors that were revealed through study findings, as well as the demonstration of clinically meaningful improvements over time in mental health symptoms among VOCs who received telehealth services.