An Integrated Online Program Using Psychoeducation and Expressive Writing for People With Probable Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Coexisting Dissociative Symptoms

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Treatments: Behavioral: An integrated online program

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06523023

21220891

Details and patient eligibility

About

Objectives:

To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and preliminary effects of an integrated online program with psychoeducation and expressive writing components for people with probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and coexisting dissociative symptoms.

Hypotheses to be tested:

The program will be feasible, acceptable, and safe to participants. When compared with the waitlist control group, participants in the treatment group will report significantly lower PTSD symptom severity, lower dissociative symptom severity, and greater improvement on coping immediately post-intervention.

Design and subjects:

An assessor-blind, two-arm, randomised waitlist-controlled pilot study is proposed; 90 community adults with significant PTSD and dissociative symptoms will be recruited.

Instruments:

The PTSD Checklist 5, Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon, and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory will be used. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted for process evaluation.

Intervention:

A 10-week integrated online program with psychoeducational and expressive writing components.

Main outcome measures:

The primary outcome is PTSD symptom severity. The secondary outcomes are dissociative symptom severity and coping. The feasibility, acceptability, and safety of the program will also be examined.

Data analysis: Feasibility and acceptability of the program will be assessed by examining the attrition rate, adherence rate, duration of subject recruitment, and post-program individual interviews. Generalised estimating equations with covariate adjustments will be used to examine the preliminary effects of the program.

Expected results:

Adults in the community who experienced significant PTSD and dissociative symptoms will become more resourceful to cope with their traumatic experiences and show more improvements on PTSD and dissociative symptoms.

Enrollment: 72 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

(a) be Hong Kong Chinese residents between the ages of 18 and 65; (b) be able to read, write, and speak in Chinese/Cantonese; (c) meet the operational definitions of "probable PTSD" and "coexisting dissociative symptoms" in screening [score ≥31 on the Chinese version of the PTSD Checklist 5 (PCL-5) and ≥20 on the Chinese version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon (DES-T)]; and (d) have access to a digital device with internet connectivity, such as a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Exclusion criteria

(a) having participated in or currently receiving other psychoeducation/psychotherapies for PTSD or dissociative symptoms; (b) having clinically significant medical conditions that may interfere with safe study participation; (c) concurrent substance dependence, acute suicidality, psychosis, or gross cognitive impairment; and (d) visual, language, or communication difficulties.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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72 participants in 2 patient groups

Treatment group (an integrated online program)

Experimental group

Description:

Our intervnetion is an integrated online program using psychoeducation and expressive writing. It is a 10-week program that consists of a 5-week psychoeducation module and a 5-week expressive writing module.

Treatment:

Behavioral: An integrated online program

Waitlist control group

Other group

Description:

After the treatment group has received and completed the integrated online program, the waitlist control group will receive the same program that is identical in content, procedures, and activities to the one received by the treatment group

Treatment:

Behavioral: An integrated online program