Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Substance Use Disorders
Conditions
Keywords
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Trauma, Substance Use Disorder, SUD, Substance Abuse, Mantram, Group therapy
Brief summary
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a virtual Mantram repetition program for adults with PTSD and substance use disorders. The program involves repetition of a personalized Mantram, which is a word or short phrase with spiritual meaning that is frequently repeated throughout the day. The program also involves slowing down thoughts and have one-pointed attention that help with stress.
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to evaluate a virtual Mantram repetition program for adults with PTSD and substance use disorders. The program involves repetition of a personalized Mantram, which is a word or short phrase with spiritual meaning that is frequently repeated throughout the day. The program also involves slowing down thoughts and have one-pointed attention that help with stress. The study starts with an eligibility and baseline assessment, which involves completing a series of questionnaires. Following these assessments, enrolled participants will be placed into a Mantram repetition program group led by two facilitators. This group will consist of 5 to 8 participants who will meet virtually every week for ninety minutes over an 8-week period. During this time, participants will also be asked to complete weekly self-reported questionnaires on their own. Additionally, at weeks 4 and 8, the participants will complete assessments and questionnaires with a member of the study team. The program will end after week 8. At week 12, participants will be invited to participate in a focus group to complete additional assessments, as well as be asked open-ended questions assessing the impact of the program on PTSD symptoms, substance use, and substance use cravings. In summary, the Mantram group program will take 8 weeks to complete and the assessments will take approximately 12 weeks to complete. Participants will receive compensation of up to $200 for their participation.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALMantram repetition program
Week 1: Define and describe the characteristics of a mantram as taught by Eknath Easwaran and how it relates to posttraumatic stress (PTSD) Week 2: Identify ways to choose and use mantram repetition for training attention and targeting craving. Introduction to substance craving and identify triggers for use. Week 3: Describe the relationship between the PTSD/stress response, mantram repetition and the relaxation response Week 4: Describe at least two benefits of slowing down versus automatic pilot for stress reduction Week 5: Describe at least two benefits of one-pointed attention versus multitasking for stress reduction Week 6: Demonstrate how one-pointed attention and slowing down complement each other for making healthy choices Week 7: List at least five strategies for making mantram repetition a part of your life Week 8: Discuss applications of mantram repetition, one-pointed attention and slowing down for overall health and substance use
Sponsors
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
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 18-years old or older * fluent in English * diagnosed with PTSD by a healthcare practitioner confirmed with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5 past month version) * diagnosed with past-year substance use disorder other than tobacco or caffeine by a healthcare practitioner confirmed by Structured clinical interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) * agreed not to participate in other therapies during the program (mindfulness, yoga, biofeedback, self-hypnosis or tai chi) * willing to commit to attend all sessions
Exclusion criteria
* diagnosis of a severe or unstable medical illness that precludes safe participation in the study by a healthcare practitioner * diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder; or current acute psychosis or mania by a healthcare practitioner * participants with moderate or high risk of suicide upon screening by the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) * have an inability to communicate in English fluently enough to complete the questionnaire.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rate of retention in the group | 8 weeks | Number of sessions completed for each participant, number of participants who withdraw and/or had non-attendance after enrollment in the study |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol consumption | 8 weeks | Weekly alcohol consumption will be monitored using the timeline follow back interview |
| Drug consumption | 8 weeks | Weekly drug consumption will be monitored using the timeline follow back interview |
| CAPS-5 PTSD Symptom Severity (past month) | Week 4, Week 8, Week 12 follow up | Changes in PTSD symptoms and wellbeing will be monitored using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) at the mid- and end-point of therapy and at follow up; 30-item questionnaire assessing 20 PTSD symptoms and overall PTSD severity; severity scale ranges from 0 to 4 with 0 = absence in symptoms to 4 being the highest symptom severity |
| Self-Rated PTSD Symptom Severity | 8 weeks | Changes in PTSD symptoms severity will be monitored weekly using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5); 20-item checklist with scale from 0 to 4, where 0 means no endorsement and 4 means greatest level of PTSD-related distress. |
| Wellbeing | Baseline; Week 4; Week 8; Week 12 follow up. Scale Title: 12-item Short Form Health Survey , Minimum value: 0 , Maximum value : 100. The higher the score the better the outcome. | Changes in wellbeing will be monitored at 3 time points using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed