Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Group Treatment With War-Exposed Bosnian Adolescents

Brigham Young University (BYU)

Status

Completed

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Grief (Traumatic Grief and Existential Grief)

Depression

Treatments

Behavioral: Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (Group Version)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT00480480

A-261 ASB

Details and patient eligibility

About

Context: This is the first multi-site randomized controlled study of the effectiveness of a group treatment for war-exposed adolescents delivered in-country within a public school system.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a trauma/grief-focused group treatment program in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and traumatic grief in war-exposed Bosnian youths attending 10 secondary schools located in Central Bosnia.

Full description

Design: A randomized controlled trial conducted during the 2000-2001 school year, with 4-month follow-up, compared group treatment to a psychoeducation/skill-based school milieu intervention.

Setting and Participants: Students attending 10 Bosnian secondary schools exposed to severe trauma, traumatic loss, and severe adversity, reporting severe persisting symptoms of PTSD, depression, or traumatic grief, and functional impairment.

Intervention: Students were randomly assigned to either 17-session Trauma and Grief Component Therapy (n=71), or a school milieu intervention (n=73), both conducted by trained school counselors.

Enrollment

144 patients

Sex

All

Ages

14 to 19 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Significant trauma exposure before, during, or after the war (e.g., serious physical injury, life threat, witnessing death or serious injury, traumatic bereavement);
Significant current distress, especially severe persisting symptoms of PTSD, depression, or traumatic grief;
Significant functional impairment in family or peer relationships and school performance

Exclusion criteria