Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Kosovar High School Students Using Mind-Body Skills Groups

The Center for Mind-Body Medicine

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-traumatic

Treatments: Behavioral: Mind-Body Skills Groups

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00136357

MBSG 2004-01

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the participation in a group program which includes meditation, biofeedback, drawings, autogenic training, genograms, and a variety of movement and breathing techniques will decrease symptoms of posttraumatic stress in high school students.

Full description

The objective of this study is to determine whether participation in a group program incorporating mind-body techniques decreases symptoms of posttraumatic stress in adolescents. Students will be screened for posttraumatic stress using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and eighty-two qualifying students will be randomly assigned to a 12-session mind-body group program or a wait-list delayed intervention group. The program will be conducted by the teachers at a high school in Kosovo and include meditation, biofeedback, drawings, autogenic training, genograms, and a variety of movement and breathing techniques. Changes in posttraumatic stress symptoms will be measured using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire.

Enrollment: 82 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 14 to 19 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Students having posttraumatic stress (PTSD) as defined according to a scoring algorithm of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire previously described by the Harvard Refugee Trauma group and used in a Kosovar Albanian population. This definition of PTSD requires a score of 3 or 4, on a Likert scale of 1-4, on at least one of the four of the reexperiencing symptoms (Criterion B), at least 3 of the 7 avoidance and numbing symptoms (Criterion C), and at least 2 of the 5 arousal symptoms (Criterion D) in addition to exposure to a traumatic event (Criterion A).

Exclusion criteria

• No specific exclusion criteria. Students having PTSD symptoms as defined above may participate in the study.

Trial design

82 participants in 2 patient groups

Mind-Body Skills Groups

Experimental group

Description:

12 week mind-body skills group program including guided imagery, relaxation techniques,autogenic training, meditation, biofeedback, drawings, genograms and movement techniques.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mind-Body Skills Groups

Delayed Intervention

No Intervention group

Description:

Comparison group not receiving intervention until after the initial intervention was completed.