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Investigating Distress Tolerance in Adults With Tourette Syndrome

Investigating Distress Tolerance in Adults With Tourette Syndrome

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05047705
Enrollment
9
Registered
2021-09-17
Start date
2022-06-02
Completion date
2024-05-28
Last updated
2024-06-07

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Tic Disorders, Tics, Tourette Syndrome

Keywords

Tourette Syndrome, Distress Tolerance, Premonitory Urge, Tic Disorders, Distress tolerance skill training

Brief summary

Although behavior therapy is recognized as a first-line intervention for Tourette's Disorder (TD), less than 40% of adults with TD respond to this evidence-based treatment. Limited tolerance for aversive premonitory urges and affective states that accompany tics may be one likely factor that impedes behavior therapy outcomes. This study examines the relationship between distress tolerance and tic inhibition among adults with TD, and investigates the mechanism and effect of therapeutic skills training to enhance distress tolerance abilities. Findings will determine the optimal approach to enhance distress tolerance among adults with TD and ultimately lead to better behavior therapy outcomes.

Detailed description

Tourette's Disorder and other persistent tic disorders collectively affect about about 1% of the population, cause significant distress, and functional impairment. Although behavior therapy is recognized as a first-line intervention for Tourette's Disorder (TD), less than 40% of adults with TD respond to this evidence-based treatment. Limited tolerance for aversive premonitory urges and affective states that accompany tics may be one likely factor that impedes behavior therapy outcomes. This study examines the relationship between distress tolerance and tic inhibition among adults with TD, and investigates the mechanism and effect of therapeutic skills training to enhance distress tolerance abilities.

Interventions

Individuals with TS will receive distress tolerance skill training. Therapeutic skill training will consist of 4 weekly 1-hour sessions. Skill training will occur either in-person or remotely via videoconferencing software. Sessions will focus on building participants' distress tolerance skills with strategies drawn from third-wave CBT.

Sponsors

Tourette Association of America
CollaboratorOTHER
Johns Hopkins University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Participants will be eligible for participation if the following inclusion criteria are met: * at least 18 years of age * have moderate tic severity or greater as evidenced by a YGTSS Total Tic Score greater than 14 (\>9 for adults with motor or vocal tics only) * exhibit a tic frequency of at least one visible tic per minute * be fluent in English * have a total premonitory urge for tics scale (PUTS) total score greater than 17 at Visit 2 * have a total DTS score greater than 30 at Visit 2

Exclusion criteria

for participants include: * history of cardiovascular disorder * history of fainting or seizures * history of frostbite * open cut or sore on hand to be immersed * fracture to the limb to be immersed * history of Reynaud's phenomenon * inability to complete rating scales * inability to attend study visits

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS)Within 1 week after completion of Distress Tolerance Skills TrainingThe Distress Tolerance Scale is a 15-item self-report measure that measures the perceived capacity to tolerate distress from a multidimensional framework, including tolerance, appraisal, absorption, and regulation. Items are rated on a 1-5 Likert scale, and then summed. Score ranges from 15-75. Higher total scores indicate greater difficulty with tolerating distress.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Yale Global Tic Severity Scale-Revised (YGTSS)Within 1 week after completion of Distress Tolerance Skills TrainingThe YGTSS is a clinician-rated semi-structured interview that measures tic symptom severity over the previous week. It consists of 10-items that assess different dimensions of tic severity for motor and vocal tics, which are rated on a 0-5 scale. The YGTSS produces a Total Tic Score (range: 0-50), with higher ratings indicating greater tic severity.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026