PTSD
Conditions
Keywords
Rehabilitation
Brief summary
The goal of this project is to gather data necessary for a full scale trial of a supported education service for OIF/OEF veterans with PTSD. Forty Veterans with PTSD will be randomly assigned to an intervention group (N=20) that receives a weekly supported education intervention and a control group that receives services as usual plus an hour of attentive intervention not focused on education. We will assess and compare the number of hours of participation in community education settings and on acquiring an educational goal for the Veterans in each group.
Detailed description
Goal: The goal of this project is to gather data on feasibility and effect size necessary for a full scale trial of a supported education service for Operation Iraq and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) veterans with PTSD that will contribute to its evidence-base. Supported education is a rehabilitation and recovery based intervention that is new to VHA services and that responds to an expressed but unmet need among these warriors with war-related trauma. We propose to conduct a pilot of a supported education service and employ a process and outcome evaluation. Anticipated Impacts on Veterans Healthcare: Veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) possess educational aspirations. Due to limited education and disability adjustment, many such veterans unsuccessfully locate employment or obtain entry level jobs with limited advancement opportunities. Even with current GI Bill funding increases, veterans experience non-financial barriers to their pursuit of educational goals. Supported education is a strategy developed within the civilian population that facilitates skill, career, and educational goals within post-secondary educational settings. It has been shown to increase educational engagement, participation, and completion, as well as improve empowerment and school efficacy. We hypothesize that supported education tailored to returning Veterans will result in similar outcomes. Aims and Objectives: The goal of this project is to gather data necessary for a full scale trial of a supported education service for OIF/OEF veterans with PTSD. The following are the aims and objectives: Aim 1: Using a randomized controlled design, assess the magnitude of the effect of a supported education service on hours of participation in community educational settings and on acquiring an educational goal. Objective: Assess the number of hours of participation in community education settings and on acquiring an educational goal for 40 Veterans with PTSD who are randomly assigned to an intervention group (N=20) that receives a weekly supported education intervention and a control group that receives services as usual plus an hour of attentive intervention not focused on education. Aim 2. To examine whether the supported education intervention has secondary effects for improving PTSD symptoms and attitudes on recovery. Objective: Conduct pre- and post assessments of recovery attitudes and of PTSD symptoms, and then compare the control and intervention group for changes in these scores. Aim 3. To acquire additional process information on the design and implementation of a supported education service necessary for a successful larger trial. Objective: Conduct a process evaluation of the implementation strategies for: participant recruitment, participant drop-out, technician training procedures, technician recovery promoting competence, and curriculum content and pacing using a standardized assessment, exit interviews, peer notes and study records.
Interventions
OTHERSupported Education
Rehabilitation counseling using peers to achieve educational goals
OTHERGeneral Peer Support
Matched peer support for any personal goal other than education
Sponsors
US Department of Veterans Affairs
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* PTSD * OIF/OEF Service
Exclusion criteria
None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Supported Education Process Measure | 6 months | Number of quarter hours spent in activities related to acquiring an education goal e.g., preparing applications, attending classes. Hours will be logged on a tally sheet adapted from the Supported Education Process Measure (Corrigan, 2009). |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Recruitment details
Veterans were referred to the study by clinicians and other sources such as Veterans Upward Program and were consented and baselined over a 9 month period.
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Arm 1 Supported Education: Rehabilitation counseling using peers to achieve educational goals | 17 |
| Active Control Veterans recived peer services that did not address educational goals | 16 |
| Total | 33 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Active Control | Total | Arm 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 29 years | 29 years | 29 years |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 2 Participants | 7 Participants | 5 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 14 Participants | 26 Participants | 12 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 1 Participants | 3 Participants | 2 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 15 Participants | 30 Participants | 15 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | — / — | — / — |
| other Total, other adverse events | 7 / 17 | 3 / 16 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 2 / 17 | 0 / 16 |
Outcome results
Primary
Supported Education Process Measure
Number of quarter hours spent in activities related to acquiring an education goal e.g., preparing applications, attending classes. Hours will be logged on a tally sheet adapted from the Supported Education Process Measure (Corrigan, 2009).
Time frame: 6 months
Population: Comparison of means
| Arm | Measure | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported Education | Supported Education Process Measure | 26.2 number of quarter hours | Standard Deviation 50.2 |
| General Peer Support | Supported Education Process Measure | 8.2 number of quarter hours | Standard Deviation 21.5 |
p-value: 0.005995% CI: [14, 38]t-test, 2 sided