None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Background: Recent studies of the consequences of former childhood war trauma in older adults reveal associations between trauma and posttraumatic symptoms (Posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD) as well as physical health. Only a few case studies have been reported on the efficacy of interventions adressing PTSD in older adults experiencing trauma in their childhood. The present study aims to examine the efficacy of a newly developed therapeutic cognitive-behavioral writing therapy (ITT) for traumatised war children of the II. WW. Method: Traumatised former war children (65 years+) with (subtreshold) PTSD are allocated at random to 11 writing sessions of a manualized writing approach over 6 weeks or a waiting list control group. We expect ITT to be useful for childhood traumatised older adults with current PTSD symptoms. We hypothesize that the intervention will significantly improve clinical symptoms of PTSD. Furthermore, we expect improvements in secondary outcomes such as anxiety, depression and quality of life. Conclusion: If ITT proves to be an effective treatment for PTSD in former war children, our results will lend to support to the establishment of ITT in this group of patients. This study could make a contribution towards savings in health expenditure as it may provide the basis for a selective and directed use of psychotherapeutic interventions in a population that make enormous use of the health service.
Interventions
The treatment manual consists of 11 writing sessions of 45 minutes within 6 weeks. During a first diagnostic phase, an overview about the psychological and physical health status of the patient is provided.
The treatment manual includes 3 components. The first component includes the reconstruction of the biography of the patient (7 writing sessions). In each session the patient is urged to describe a defined period of his/her life, therefore a consistent biography is generated at the end of the
The treatment manual consists of 11 writing sessions of 45 minutes within 6 weeks. During a first diagnostic phase, an overview about the psychological and physical health status of the patient is provided. The treatment manual includes 3 components. The first component includes the reconstruction of the biography of the patient (7 writing sessions). In each session the patient is urged to describe a defined period of his/her life, therefore a consistent biography is generated at the end of the therapy. 2 writing sessions concerning the traumatic event of the patient during the II. WW or right after it are combined with the biographic component. In these 2 writing sessions the patient is requested to write about the trauma in detail. This narrative exposition allows the patient to integrate the fragmented memories into a more consistent biography. During the last component of the treatment (cognitive reappraisal, 2 writing sessions) the patient should write down his/her point of view on the traumatic experience and his/her life from the current perspective. The communication between patient and therapist takes place via internet or letter.
Sponsors
Christine Knaevelsrud
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Traumatic experience during the II. WW, born during 1920 and 1946, civil victim of war, speaking German
Exclusion criteria
Significant cognitive impairement, suicidal intentions, substance abuse, physical disorders which complicate a participation, psychotic experiences, currently receiving psychotherapy elsewhere
Outcome results
None listed