Supported Education Pilot (SEd)

US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Status and phase: Completed; Early Phase 1

Conditions: PTSD

Treatments: Other: General Peer Support; Other: Supported Education

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01073657

PPO 09-254

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this project is to gather data necessary for a full scale trial of a supported education service for OIF/OEF veterans with PTSD. Forty Veterans with PTSD will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (N=20) that receives a weekly supported education intervention and a control group that receives services as usual plus an hour of attentive intervention not focused on education. We will assess and compare the number of hours of participation in community education settings and on acquiring an educational goal for the Veterans in each group.

Full description

Goal: The goal of this project is to gather data on feasibility and effect size necessary for a full scale trial of a supported education service for Operation Iraq and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veterans with PTSD that will contribute to its evidence-base. Supported education is a rehabilitation and recovery based intervention that is new to VHA services and that responds to an expressed but unmet need among these warriors with war-related trauma. We propose to conduct a pilot of a supported education service and employ a process and outcome evaluation.

Anticipated Impacts on Veterans Healthcare: Veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) possess educational aspirations. Due to limited education and disability adjustment, many such veterans unsuccessfully locate employment or obtain entry level jobs with limited advancement opportunities. Even with current GI Bill funding increases, veterans experience non-financial barriers to their pursuit of educational goals. Supported education is a strategy developed within the civilian population that facilitates skill, career, and educational goals within post-secondary educational settings. It has been shown to increase educational engagement, participation, and completion, as well as improve empowerment and school efficacy. We hypothesize that supported education tailored to returning Veterans will result in similar outcomes.

Aims and Objectives: The goal of this project is to gather data necessary for a full scale trial of a supported education service for OIF/OEF veterans with PTSD. The following are the aims and objectives:

Aim 1: Using a randomized controlled design, assess the magnitude of the effect of a supported education service on hours of participation in community educational settings and on acquiring an educational goal. Objective: Assess the number of hours of participation in community education settings and on acquiring an educational goal for 40 Veterans with PTSD who are randomly assigned to an intervention group (N=20) that receives a weekly supported education intervention and a control group that receives services as usual plus an hour of attentive intervention not focused on education.

Aim 2. To examine whether the supported education intervention has secondary effects for improving PTSD symptoms and attitudes on recovery. Objective: Conduct pre- and post assessments of recovery attitudes and of PTSD symptoms, and then compare the control and intervention group for changes in these scores.

Aim 3. To acquire additional process information on the design and implementation of a supported education service necessary for a successful larger trial. Objective: Conduct a process evaluation of the implementation strategies for: participant recruitment, participant drop-out, technician training procedures, technician recovery promoting competence, and curriculum content and pacing using a standardized assessment, exit interviews, peer notes and study records.

Enrollment: 33 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• PTSD
• OIF/OEF Service

Exclusion criteria

None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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33 participants in 2 patient groups

Supported Education

Experimental group

Description:

Veterans received supported education services. A Veteran peer met weekly as needed with a subject for up to six months in a psycho-social rehabilitation service for meeting education goals. Goals included choosing a college, getting admitted or enrolled, and maintaining enrollment and completing classes.

Treatment:

Other: Supported Education

General Peer Support

Active Comparator group

Description:

Matched attention was provided by a Veteran peer who met weekly with Veterans but who focused on help with any personal goal (eg, employment, housing) but not on education.

Treatment:

Other: General Peer Support