View clinical trials related to PTSD.
Filter by:This project is responsive to RR&D's current special areas of interest for non-pharmacological activity-based interventions for chronic pain impacting pain reduction, function and quality of life. This project aligns with the VA mandate for complementary and integrative health (CIH) care for Veterans and their families. CIH complements traditional care for Veterans managing chronic conditions, such as chronic pain and PTSD. Mission Reconnect (MR) is a user-driven, dyadic, CIH self-care management program delivered remotely that teaches techniques the Veteran/partner dyad can use to reduce pain, anxiety and stress, promote well-being and improve relationship quality. The research goal is to evaluate MR as an approach to manage chronic pain and PTSD symptoms, for potential subsequent implementation. This study will possibly provide a model for establishing remote access and sustainable implementation of CIH within VA.
The purpose of this study is to optimize, culturally adapt, implement, and pilot test a trauma-informed collaborative care intervention for low-income African Americans who receive care in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in New Orleans, Louisiana. We will randomize 40 patients to either a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) collaborative care intervention or to an enhanced usual care control and will evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention (including whether outcome expectancy, coping efficacy, and trust mediate the impact of the intervention) as well as its feasibility, tolerability, and acceptability.
It is common for Veterans with injuries, illnesses, or physical disabilities to experience depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain, and other concerns. They may also have goals like becoming happier or better able to cope with challenges that life brings. The purpose of this research study is to learn whether Veterans like and benefit from a 5-week, group-based positive psychology program aimed at improving mental health, resilience, well-being, and quality of life. Participants will be asked to complete several assessments (surveys/interviews) over the course of the study that are not considered part of standard care. Additionally, participants will be asked to participate in a focus group at the end of the study to provide feedback about their experiences in the group.
OEF/OIF/OND war Veterans have unique post-deployment care needs that the VA is striving to understand and address. Unfortunately, there is a significant disparity in utilization of mental health (MH) care and VA access as most war Veterans don't seek needed care. New interventions are urgently needed to address disparities in post-deployment MH treatment engagement for war Veterans and to support VA's efforts to provide them with optimal access and care. Online health interventions have been shown to be preferred by OEF/OIF combat Veterans and have the potential to promote access to VA MH care. The investigators' research team has developed a web-based interface (WEB-ED) evolved by feedback from Veterans that screens for common post-deployment MH and readjustment concerns, provides tailored education about positive screens, and facilitates linkage to VA resources. Data from the investigators' prior studies demonstrate WEB-ED can be successfully implemented within VA and activate Veterans to seek needed care. Furthermore, emerging evidence indicates that when patients are educated about their health conditions and treatment alternatives using shared decision-making (SDM), increased treatment participation and adherence, and better health outcomes result. Next steps include: linking Veteran WEB-ED screening results to a VA secure network so that a provider can access the results; and integrating a SDM interface to promote Veteran-Provider partnerships in patient-centered care. This study will improve the investigators' understanding of the most effective methods to reduce barriers to enrollment in VA/MHV and transferring important medical information using My HealtheVet (MHV). Furthermore, it will provide important information regarding how WEB-ED results can enhance the capability of VA providers and transition patient advocates to use Veterans' screening results to triage and engage Veterans in patient-centered MH care and promote VA provider adoption of WEB-ED+ to facilitate patient engagement. Online screening, tailored education, and links to geographically accessible VA resources has been shown to be preferred by Veterans, providing recognition of treatable post-deployment MH concerns, and education that reduces stigma. This study builds upon and augments this prior work with research to understand and evaluate the processes needed to integrate WEB-ED+ into current VHA systems to support efficient care delivery, facilitate patient-centered care, and address unmet need for MH care while also resolving disparities in VA and VA MH care access and engagement for war Veterans. WEB-ED+'s use of shared decision making is a key component for promoting these benefits. WEB-ED+ represents a readily implementable and cost-effective intervention that, with partner collaboration, can be integrated into VA systems through MHV. Findings have important policy implications for several operational partners heavily invested in the improved access and delivery of evidence-based mental health care for war Veterans.
The aim of this study is to examine sleep architecture in refugees with PTSD. Polysomnography (PSG) will be carried out to study the occurrence of sleep disorders in patients and healthy controls.
Prolonged Exposure therapy (PE) is a first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder; however few VA patients receive this treatment. One of the barriers to PE receipt is that this treatment is only available in an individual (one-on-one) format, whereas many VA mental health clinics provide the majority of their psychotherapy services in group format. In particular, PTSD residential rehabilitation programs (RRTPs) offer most programming in group format. Thus, the current study was designed to pilot test a group format of PE in RRTPs.
Behavioral health problems among Veterans have raised awareness of the critical need for more reliable, effective, and accessible ways to recognize those in need, direct them to help, and ensure that they receive the best evidence-based care available. AboutFace is a novel peer education program that features the personal stories of Veterans and is designed to improve Veterans' likelihood of engaging in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) specialty care. Using a randomized controlled study design the investigators propose to compare the efficacy of AboutFace relative to standard care for improving treatment engagement and outcomes. Additional data from VA providers will provide valuable information on wide scale implementation and dissemination of AboutFace. If AboutFace increases access of services, data will have broad implications for overcoming barriers to care for Veterans with PTSD and other stigmatized conditions.
The current goal of this project is to subjectively and objectively assess the efficacy of arts and movement interventions--including dance/movement therapy, art therapy and mindful yoga for youth and adults exposed to trauma, including families resettled as refugees and families in high-risk, low-resource environments. The overarching aim is to measure the changes over time in self-reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder(s), depression, and somatic symptoms, as well as changes in biological substrates representing pathophysiological processes involved in responses to stress, trauma, and the aforementioned disorders. These biological substrates include inflammatory proteins and the stress hormone cortisol. We hypothesize that given the emotional and physical components of arts and movement therapies, which are implemented in group settings and confer life-long coping skills to participants, participation in arts and movement therapies will result in reduction of self-reported severity of psyciatric symptoms and improved physiology. COVID-19: In March, the COVID-19 pandemic caused in person research to be halted in order to be in adherence to the stay at home order for the State of Michigan. The IRB overseeing the present project approved an amendment to allow data to be collected online via phone or email, based on participant preference, with a new consent form for this new method of data collection. Following this approval, we migrated our programming to virtual formats and began to serve both refugee commuities as well as school-aged youth with the intervention program and obtained consent followed by data from participants as part of this study. We have pivoted towards also looking at the benefits of creative arts and movement based interventions in reducing COVID-related distress, as well as building resilience. By collecting psychological and biomarker data the investigators seek concrete scientific evidence supporting these non-pharmacological, cost effective, and accessible programs as reliable treatment options.
Evidence-based psychosocial interventions are rarely used in part because of their design complexity. Although many implementation frameworks do address the importance of EBPI characteristics, adapting and modifying EBPIs to enhance usability has not been a focus. User-centered design (UCD) approaches, which have been successful in creating hardware and software tools that are accessible and compelling to use, have the potential to modify EBPIs so that they are accessible and compelling to clinicians. We hypothesize that UCD driven modifications to EBPI usability (target mechanism) will result in enhanced clinician ability to deliver EBPI elements competently, and that better competence results in better patient reported outcomes. We will modify Behavioral Activation (BA), an EBPI often used in primary care, to function as a Task Sharing model between clinicians and care managers. Our specific aims are to (1) identify usability problems clinicians and care managers encounter with BA (2) create a clinician- and care manager-driven modification of BA and (3) compare the modified Task Sharing version of BA to usual care on usability, clinician competence, and patient reported outcomes.
There is evidence that some of the circadian photoreceptors, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), project directly to the amygdala, an area of the brain implicated in PTSD. Thus, a self-administered morning light treatment at home (shifts clock earlier and stimulates ipRGCs) may be a potentially efficacious adjunctive strategy for reducing PTSD symptoms. This study will test a 4 week daily 1 hour morning light treatment (active vs placebo) in individuals with PTSD. Outcome measures include measures of PTSD and depression.