PTSD
Conditions
Keywords
Attention bias modification, resilience, combat, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety
Brief summary
Military deployment to combat zones involves exposure to trauma at a higher than average rate and therefore presents a unique opportunity to study predisposing factors to posttraumatic stress reactions and test strategies designed to prevent and ameliorate posttraumatic symptoms. Decades of scientific research on the origins of resilience and vulnerability to combat-related posttraumatic stress symptoms revealed various predisposing and protective factors. All these factors however, offer limited opportunity for systematic pre-deployment prevention efforts. Considering the magnitude of psychological adjustment difficulties encountered by combat personnel in deployment and the limited access to existing evidence-based therapies for PTSD, the development and testing of a novel evidence-based and theory-driven prevention protocol for these problems is of considerable significance. The current study translates cognitive-neuroscience knowledge and attention bias modification research into a novel computerized training tool that could be easily delivered to soldiers during different stages of the deployment cycle. If proved efficacious in reducing risk for posttraumatic symptoms ABMT could be integrated into the Army's resilience training program. Thus, we propose a longitudinal double-blind randomized controlled study of ABMT in soldiers. We will assess attention bias and symptoms before deployment, will randomly assign soldiers to either 8 ABMT sessions, 4 ABMT sessions, 8 Placebo training sessions, or no training. Following 6 months of deployment to combat zone symptoms will be assessed again.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALActive ABMT8
Active ABMT8 8 active ABMT sessions (10 min. each, over 7-8 weeks) designed to promote adaptive threat attendance
BEHAVIORALActive ABMT4
Active ABMT4 4 active ABMT sessions (10 min. each, over 7-8 weeks) designed to promote adaptive threat attendance
BEHAVIORALPlacebo
Placebo: will receive 4 training sessions(10 min. each, over 7-8 weeks) using the same task and stimuli as in the active arms, but not designed to change attention patterns
Sponsors
Medical Corps, Israel Defense Force
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)
Tel Aviv University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 28 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* combat soldiers
Exclusion criteria
* Fluent Hebrew
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in PTSD symptoms(PCL) | Pre-treatment(baseline), after first deployment, 10 days after combat, 4 months after combat | 1\. pre-treatment 2.after first deployment 3.10 days after combat 4. 4 months after combat |
| Probable PTSD diagnosis(CAPS) | Four months after combat | Four months after combat |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in Depression(PHQ-9)) and Anxiety(STAI) | Pre-treatment(baseline), after first deployment, 10 days after combat, 4 months after combat | 1\. Pre-treatment(baseline) 2.after first deployment 3.10 days after combat 4. 4 months after combat |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Bias Scores | Pre-traetment baseline and in deployment | Attention bias scores measured in milliseconds using the dot-probe task |
Countries
Israel
Outcome results
None listed