Written Exposure in Substance Treatment (WEST)

Potomac Health Foundations

Status: Completed

Conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Substance Use Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Written Exposure Therapy; Behavioral: Treatment as Usual

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06296940

WEST 2.0

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this pilot randomized clinical trial is to test the feasibility and efficacy of written exposure therapy (WET) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the context of residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. All participants meet criteria for PTSD and are in a short term residential SUD treatment program (target residential treatment duration = 28 days) regardless of the research. The main questions the study aims to answer are: 1) Is the delivery of WET feasible in short term residential SUD treatment for individuals with severe SUD; 2) Do participants in the TAU+WET condition have greater reductions in PTSD symptoms pre/post treatment compared to participants in TAU alone?

Enrollment: 50 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• At least 18 years old
• Fluent in English
• Cognitively able to provide consent to the research
• Enrolled in inpatient treatment at the clinical site where the research takes place
• Meet criteria for probable PTSD based on PCL-5 score
• Be early enough in their residential stay to allow time to complete the WET protocol
• Have a clear memory of the traumatic event so they are able to write about itin detail

Exclusion criteria

• Reports significant suicidal or homicidal ideation with intent, untreated psychosis, or have other health limitations that may interfere with their ability to participate in the research

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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50 participants in 2 patient groups

Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants randomized to the TAU condition, which involves the standard clinical services available in a short term residential SUD treatment context. Examples of these services are: Individual counseling/case management; Group psychoeducation; Group counseling; Assessment and addiction related medical treatment from a physician; Pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders; 12-step groups. However, participants in this group do not receive treatment that is targeted at decreasing PTSD symptoms.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment as Usual

TAU + Written Exposure Therapy (WET)

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this condition receive everything included in TAU plus 5 individual sessions of WET delivered by a therapist. Sessions average less than 60 minutes and primarily involve writing about the traumatic experience that is guided by the therapist.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Treatment as Usual

Behavioral: Written Exposure Therapy