Imaginal Exposure Therapy, Written Exposure Therapy
Conditions
Brief summary
The purpose of the study is to compare the efficacy of two different versions of a brief online exposure therapy program for PTSD: written versus verbal trauma narrative recounting in reducing PTSD symptom severity. Both treatments will be delivered through an interactive online program with coaching from a trained peer support specialist. Treatment will be a variable length, such that 4 to 8 sessions will be delivered, depending on each participants' rate of PTSD symptom recovery.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWritten Exposure Therapy
In this study, written exposure therapy is delivered in an online format with coaching from trained peer support specialists. Participants will complete 4-8 sessions, depending on their level of symptom reduction (i.e., allow for early termination when low symptom levels are achieved).
BEHAVIORALImaginal Exposure Therapy
Delivery of imaginal exposure in this study will mirror the procedures used in WET. It will be delivered in an online format with coaching from trained peer support specialists. Participants will complete 4-8 sessions, depending on their level of symptom reduction (i.e., allow for early termination when low symptom levels are achieved).
Sponsors
Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 99 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Able to read/write English * Internet connection allowing stable access to the Vets Prevail website * A clinically significant PCL-5 score of 31 or above.
Exclusion criteria
* A score on the suicidality item of the PHQ-9 of 3 or higher.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Post Traumatic Stress Disorder CheckList for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - 5 (PCL-5; Weathers, et al., 2013) | Change in total score from baseline to 3-months post treatment (approximately 14-18 weeks). | Self report measure of PTSD symptoms. A total symptom severity score (range - 0-80) can be obtained by summing the scores for each of the 20 items. Higher scores indicate greater PTSD severity. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001). | Change in total score from baseline to 3-months post treatment (approximately 14-18 weeks). | Self report measure of depression symptoms. It is the 9-item measure that yields a total score of 0-27, with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptom severity. |
| Brief version of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS-16; Bjureberg et al,. 2016) | Change in total score from baseline to 3-months post treatment (approximately 14-18 weeks). | A 16-item self report measure of difficulties in emotion regulation. Total scores on the DERS-16 can range from 16 to 80, with higher scores reflecting greater levels of emotion dysregulation. |
| Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS; Mundt et al., 2002) | Change in total score from baseline to 3-months post treatment (approximately 14-18 weeks). | A 5-item self-report measure of work and social functioning and impact of symptoms. Total scores range from 0-40 with higher scores indicating greater impairment. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed