NCT03485391

Peer Social Support During In Vivo Exposure for PTSD

Peer Social Support During In Vivo Exposure for PTSD: A Program to Address Dropout From Prolonged Exposure

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 109 (actual)
• Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Veterans who have prematurely dropped out of exposure therapy for PTSD will be contacted and offered the opportunity to return to treatment, this time with the assistance of an in vivo exposure therapy 'workout buddy'. This peer will meet them at the in vivo exposure therapy location and offer support an encouragement while the patient remains in that location. As the PTSD treatment standards in Charleston and other VA sites across the country increasingly include telemedicine delivered care, both in person and telemedicine based exposure therapy recipients will be included. There will be no randomization; all participants will receive the peer support 'workout buddy' for exposure therapy assignments.

Detailed description

Veterans (participants and peers) with PTSD will be recruited from the Charleston VA Medical Center catchment area. Participants will have been assigned to exposure therapy for PTSD and either started treatment, or dropped out before treatment; peers will have successfully completed exposure therapy for PTSD. Those eligible to participate will also include Veterans who are identified as "at-risk" of dropping out, Veterans who are uncomfortable completing in vivo exposure activities, and those who may have PTSD symptoms, but at the sub-threshold level. Participants will receive 8-12 weekly sessions of exposure therapy treatment with assistance of a PE Peer. Half of subjects will be randomized to the PE+Workout Buddy condition, where they will complete treatment with the assistance of a Veteran who will meet them at least once per week for in vivo exposure therapy assignments, for 3-4 weeks at the beginning of treatment. Half of subjects will be randomized to the PE+General Support condition, where they will complete treatment with the assistance of a Veteran who will call them via telephone once per week to encourage session attendance and ask about treatment progress, life stresses, etc. General support peers will also meeting Veterans 2-4 times per month to check in about treatment progress. All participants and peers will be consented. Participants will be assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3- \& 6-month follow-up.

Conditions

• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Anxiety Disorders
• Mental Disorder
• Traumatic Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Prolonged Exposure	Practice guidelines have identified that trauma-focused psychotherapies have most evidence for treatment PTSD. Prolonged Exposure (PE) is one type of trauma-focused psychotherapy. PE teaches you to gradually approach trauma-related memories, feelings, and situations that you have been avoiding since your trauma. By confronting these challenges, you can decrease your PTSD symptoms. Treatment will last anywhere from 8-12 weeks for 75-90 minutes, once per week.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-05-01
• Primary completion: 2023-03-03
• Completion: 2023-05-31
• First posted: 2018-04-02
• Last updated: 2024-08-16
• Results posted: 2024-08-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States