Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a group-adapted Somatic Experiencing® intervention for Indonesian women survivors of sexual assault with PTSD symptoms

PLoS ONE, vol. 20, pp. e0336956

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Sexual assault affects 35.6% of women globally. In Indonesia, 1 in 3 women aged 15-64 have experienced physical and/or sexual assault. This often leads to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related symptoms. The standard PTSD treatments have cultural and resource limitations, which emphasize the need for a culturally adapted intervention. Somatic Experiencing® (SE)®, a body-oriented trauma therapy, has shown promise in reducing PTSD symptoms across diverse populations, but its cultural applicability and effectiveness in Indonesia remain under-investigated. This study addresses that gap by adapting SE®, for Indonesian women survivors of sexual assault. METHODS: This study is a parallel-group, randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to assess the effectiveness of a 10-session group-based SE® intervention, compared withcontrol group. A total of 207 participants will be recruited and randomly assigned using a 2:1 allocation ratio (n = 138 intervention, n = 69 control). The intervention consists of structured group activities based on SE® principles, targeting improvements in PTSD symptoms, resilience, and quality of life. Furthermore, participants will be assessed at multiple points using standardized measures (PCL-5, CD-RISC-25, WHOQOL-BREF). Analysis will be conducted using SPSS version 22.0 for quantitative data and thematic coding for qualitative insights. DISCUSSION: This study represents the first RCT of culturally adapted SE® intervention in Indonesia. The findings are expected to inform trauma-focused clinical practice in low-resource settings and contribute to the global understanding of body-based therapy effectiveness in diverse cultural contexts. Results may also provide evidence for scalable group interventions targeting PTSD among women survivors of gender-based violence. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN58257113 (Registration date: 29 October 2024). TRIAL SPONSOR: Universitas Padjadjaran, Faculty of Psychology, Jl. Raya Bandung-Sumedang K21, Jatinangor 45363, Indonesia.

Authors 4

1. Ligina Ayudia corresponding

   Padjadjaran University

   Affiliation as printed

   Postgraduate Program in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

2. Fredrick Dermawan Purba

   Padjadjaran University

   Affiliation as printed

   Center for Psychological Innovation and Research, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

   Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

3. Annemarie Samuels Aachen Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

4. Aulia Iskandarsyah

   Padjadjaran University

   Affiliation as printed

   Center for Psychological Innovation and Research, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia

   Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia