Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, psychotherapy, randomized trial, gestalt
Brief summary
This study aims to compare two active psychological treatments for PTSD. One is an established therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) which operates as a control condition for a newly developed intervention, an integrative Gestalt-based trauma therapy, Dialogical Exposure Therapy (DET). There is no inactive control condition. We expect the two therapies to perform on a similar level, which would constitute evidence for the efficacy of DET.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALDialogical exposure therapy
This 24-session treatment protocol includes cognitive-behavioral components integrated with a frame based on gestalt principles. There are four phases, safety, stabilization, confrontation and integration.
BEHAVIORALCognitive Processing Therapy (German Adaptation)
This is a German adaptation of Cognitive Processing Therapy, developed by Prof. P. A. Resick. This intervention includes cognitive restructuring, a focus on the traumatic memory and a focus on issues that are likely to be problematic in traumatized individuals.
Sponsors
Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* main diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder * time since trauma is at least three months
Exclusion criteria
* acute suicidal ideation * severe personality pathology * substance dependence * early childhood trauma (e.g. child sexual abuse) * history of psychosis * dissociative identity disorder * neurological impairment (e.g. craniocerebral injury with functional impairment) * severe pre-traumatic depression * ongoing psychotherapy * lack of motivation * lack of German language skills
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PTBS Symptom Severity | change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment) | Even though participants are assessed by a clinical interview before entering the study, the primary outcome measure is the PDS which is applied before and after treatment as well as at 6-month follow-up. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PTSD Symptom change (IES-R) | change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment). Also measured at each session (up to 24 time points between pre- and posttreatment). | The IES-R is a short instrument for the measurement of PTSD symptom severity. In this study, the IES-R is applied before every session in order to measure symptom change over the time of the therapy. |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Brief Symptom Inventory | change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment) | The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) is a measure of general psychological distress. |
| Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) | change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment) | The IIP is a widely used instrument to measure interpersonal distress. |
Countries
Germany
Outcome results
None listed