Access to Care, Psychological Distress
Conditions
Brief summary
This study investigates access, effectiveness, and acceptability of 1-day ACT workshops on problematic mental health symptoms.
Detailed description
This study proposes to investigate access, effectiveness, and acceptability of 1-day ACT workshops delivered in 2 rural VA primary clinics with 32 Veterans with problematic mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, PTSD, or anxiety) that are risk factors for suicide.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALAcceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Workshop
ACT workshops are single-day workshops that last 5-6 hours. The workshops will 1) Acceptance and Mindfulness Training emphasizing new ways of managing troubling thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations (e.g., learning how to recognize, and develop cognitive distance from unhelpful thoughts) and strategies to willingly face experiences that cannot be changed; and 2) Committed Action Training to help Veterans clarify what matters most to them (e.g., valued domains including family, friends, spirituality, career) and what they want to stand for in life, how they want to behave, and what strengths and qualities they want to develop. Within this context, the workshop will encourage engagement in, rather than avoidance of, actions consistent with valued directions, including engagement in healthcare. Workshop participants will be given homework related to implementing a key coping skill.
BEHAVIORALTreatment as usual (TAU)
TAU will consist of a consult to a mental health provider at their rural clinic. The patient will then be scheduled for an intake and offered traditional mental health treatment options. Treatment options are likely to include outpatient individual psychotherapy, psychotherapy groups, or medication management.
Sponsors
VA Office of Research and Development
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
Syracuse VA Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
two intervention randomized clinical trial
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 1\) current mental health symptoms as measured by one of the following indicators: PHQ-9 ≥ 10, PCL-5 ≥ 30, or GAD-7 ≥ 10.
Exclusion criteria
1. cognitive impairment measured by BOMC, 2. current psychosis or mania as evidenced in the medical record, 3. current suicidal intent as measured by the P4, 4. use of mental health services within or outside of VA in the last 6 months as measured by CPRS and the non-VA services questionnaire.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Access to mental health care | 1 month | Access to care is measured by hours of active treatment Veterans receive within and outside of VA. |
| Psychological Distress | 1 month | Psychological distress as measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Score range on 0-42. Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed