PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Conditions
Brief summary
Military service and reserve duty in combat units entails exposure to traumatic events that require mental adjustment. In light of the results of controlled studies that proved the effectiveness an response-time based mechanized training protocol in reducing risk for post-trauma symptoms in deployed combat soldiers, the Israeli Defense Forces decided at the beginning of the Iron Swords War to implement an internet-based App of the intervention. Soldiers and combat reservists were invited to use the Combat Attention App. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the Combat Attention App in relation to a control group of soldiers who did not use the App in reducing risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms of deployed soldiers.
Detailed description
Participants who used the Combat Attention App before combat deployment and a group of matched (age and sex) participants who did not use the App will be compared on PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms post deployment.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCombat Attention Training
The Combat Attention App is a response-time based mechanized preventive intervention designed to train combat soldiers' attention toward threats before combat exposure in order to reduce the risk for combat-related post-trauma symptoms. In light of the results of controlled studies that proved the efficacy of this preventive intervention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) decided at the beginning of the Iron Swords War (October 7th, 2023) to implement an internet-based App of the intervention, and soldiers and combat reservists were invited to train on the Combat Attention App.
Sponsors
Tel Aviv University
Study design
Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
OTHER
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Age over 18 years. * Served as an enlisted soldier or reservist during the Iron Swards War. * Used the Combat Attention App or can serve as a matched control who did not use the App. * Colloquial Hebrew sufficient to fill out the research questionnaires.
Exclusion criteria
* Below 18 years of age. * Colloquial Hebrew that is insufficient to fill out the research questionnaires.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| IDF Medical Records | January-June 2025 | Holds all the medical information and contact with health/mental health professionals during one's service |
| PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) | January-June 2025 | Measures PTSD symptoms according to DSM-5 |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attention Bias Questionnaire (ABQ) | January-June 2025 | Measures subjective experiences of attention allocation to threats |
| Combat Experiences Scale | January-June 2025 | Measures the occurrence of specific combat events |
| Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) | January-June 2025 | measures dissociative symptoms associated with trauma exposure |
| GAD-7 | January-June 2025 | measures symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder |
| Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) | January-June 2025 | Measures Depression symptoms according to DSM-5 |
Countries
Israel
Contacts
Primary ContactYair Bar-Haim, PhD
Backup ContactChelsea Gober Dykan, MA
Outcome results
None listed