Optimizing Treatment Response in VA Specialized Intensive/Inpatient PTSD Programs

VA Office of Research and Development

Status: Completed

Conditions: PTSD

Treatments: Behavioral: Group PE

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT03533608

CDA 15-251 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

CDX 18-002

Details and patient eligibility

About

Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) is a first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder; however few VA patients receive this treatment. One of the barriers to PE receipt is that this treatment is only available in an individual (one-on-one) format, whereas many VA mental health clinics provide the majority of their psychotherapy services in group format. In particular, PTSD residential rehabilitation programs (RRTPs) offer most programming in group format. Thus, the current study was designed to pilot test a group format of PE in RRTPs.

Full description

Fifty Veterans who are currently receiving treatment in the PTSD RRTP at a Midwest VA will be recruited to participate in a Group PE protocol. Participants will engage in 12, 90-minute sessions of Group PE over the course of 6 weeks. Treatment consists of psychoeducation, rationale for treatment, and in vivo exposure to reduce trauma-related avoidance and thereby improve PTSD symptoms. PTSD symptoms will be measured via the PCL-5. The goal of this pilot study will be to determine whether or not it will be feasible to conduct a full-scale trial of Group PE in the current setting by testing the process, resources, management, and scientific basis of the planned trial. As such, the proposed study will primarily assess feasibility outcomes and not efficacy outcomes. The investigators will assess number of participants screened, number meeting inclusion criteria, adherence of participants to the proposed treatment (measured via number of sessions attended), standard deviation of the outcome measure (PCL-5), response rates to questionnaires, and loss to follow-up. The investigators will also measure clinicians' adherence to protocol and acceptability of the treatment to patients.

Enrollment: 39 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Inclusion criteria are current engagement in treatment at the Battle Creek VA PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program.

Exclusion criteria

• Exclusion criteria are severe cognitive impairment that in the judgment of the PI or the patient's clinical providers make it unlikely that the patient can adhere to the study protocol.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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39 participants in 1 patient group

Group PE

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will engage in twelve 90-minute sessions of Group PE over the course of 6 weeks. Treatment consists of psychoeducation, rationale for treatment, and in vivo exposure to reduce trauma-related avoidance and thereby improve PTSD symptoms.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Group PE