The Effectiveness of Group-Delivered Guided Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD and Subclinical PTSD Among Adolescents : a Pilot Study

Peking University

Status: Completed

Conditions: PTSD

Treatments: Behavioral: Waiting-List (WL) condition; Behavioral: Group-delivered guided written exposure therapy-revised version

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06403449

G-WET on Adolescents PTSD

Details and patient eligibility

About

The study aims to examine the effectiveness of the group-delivered guided written exposure therapy (G-WET) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and subclinical PTSD among Chinese adolescents with a randomized controlled trial. The study will recruit 40 participants, with 20 randomized to the G-WET group and 20 randomized to the waiting list (WL) group. The G-WET intervention consists of 5-8 group sessions. The primary outcome PCL-5 ( PTSD Checklist-5) will be administered on baseline, post-treatment, 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up assessments.

Enrollment: 53 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 10 to 18 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Adolescents aged 10-18 years.
2. Meeting full or subthreshold PTSD (up to one symptom missing) diagnostic criteria according to the Child PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview Version for DSM-5 (CPSS-5-I).
3. If taking psychotropic medication, currently stabilized on psychotropic medication for at least four weeks.
4. Capable of writing and understanding written instructions.

Exclusion criteria

1. Presence of severe psychopathology necessitating immediate medical attention
2. Moderate to high suicide risk (e.g., intent or plan to attempt suicide in the near future)
3. Evidence of a moderate or severe traumatic brain injury
4. Currently undergoing psychotherapy specifically for PTSD.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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53 participants in 2 patient groups

G-WET

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Group-delivered guided written exposure therapy-revised version

Waiting-List (WL) condition

Other group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Waiting-List (WL) condition