Stress Disorders, Post-traumatic
Conditions
Keywords
posttraumatic stress, mind-body techniques, war, adolescents
Brief summary
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.
Detailed 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.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMind-Body Skills Groups
12 week mind-body skills group program including guided imagery, relaxation techniques,autogenic training, meditation, biofeedback, drawings, genograms and movement techniques.
Sponsors
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
14 Years to 19 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
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
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | Baseline, 12 weeks, 3 months | The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire measures PTSD Symptoms. This scale has 16 items and is rated on a Likert scale from 1-4. The total score is sum of the scores divided by the number of items. Higher scores indicated higher levels of PTSD symptoms. |
Countries
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Mind-Body Skills Groups 12 week mind-body skills group program including guided imagery, relaxation techniques,autogenic training, meditation, biofeedback, drawings, genograms and movement techniques. | 41 |
| Delayed Intervention Comparison group not receiving intervention until after the initial intervention was completed. | 41 |
| Total | 82 |
Withdrawals & dropouts
| Period | Reason | FG000 | FG001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Study | Withdrawal by Subject | 3 | 2 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Delayed Intervention | Mind-Body Skills Groups | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 41 Participants | 41 Participants | 82 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 16.3 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.2 | 16.3 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.1 | 16.3 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 1.1 |
| Region of Enrollment Kosovo | 41 participants | 41 participants | 82 participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 31 Participants | 31 Participants | 62 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 10 Participants | 10 Participants | 20 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 41 | 0 / 41 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 41 | 0 / 41 |
Outcome results
Primary
Harvard Trauma Questionnaire
The Harvard Trauma Questionnaire measures PTSD Symptoms. This scale has 16 items and is rated on a Likert scale from 1-4. The total score is sum of the scores divided by the number of items. Higher scores indicated higher levels of PTSD symptoms.
Time frame: Baseline, 12 weeks, 3 months
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mind-Body Skills Groups | Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | Baseline | 2.5 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.3 |
| Mind-Body Skills Groups | Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | 12 Week Assessment | 2.0 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.3 |
| Mind-Body Skills Groups | Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | 3 Month Assessment | 2.0 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.3 |
| Delayed Intervention | Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | Baseline | 2.5 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.3 |
| Delayed Intervention | Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | 12 Week Assessment | 2.4 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.4 |
| Delayed Intervention | Harvard Trauma Questionnaire | 3 Month Assessment | 2.1 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 0.3 |