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The Victim Improvement Package Trial is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The project is hosted by University College London, and is run from the Division of Psychiatry.
Being the victim of a crime can be a distressing and unsettling experience, and older victims may be more vulnerable to the emotional affects due to lack of social support or lack of access to formal support services.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a talking therapy that has been shown to be effective in altering the negative thoughts and unhelpful behaviours which can arise as a result of being in emotional distress.
The VIP Study is a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) looking to investigate the effectiveness of a 10-session course of a modified CBT-based treatment to help older people who have been victims of common crime (this includes mugging, burglary and criminal damage, among others).
Each participant who enters the study is randomly assigned to one of two groups:
- Treatment As Usual (this means usual care from a local healthcare provider, such as a GP)
OR
- Treatment As Usual with the addition of CBT
