NCT04763681

Couple HOPES (Helping Overcome PTSD and Enhance Satisfaction)

Expanding a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Couple Internet-Delivered PTSD Intervention to Reach Military Members, Veterans, and First Responders With COVID-19-Related Trauma Exposure

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 54 (actual)
• Sponsor: York University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 64 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) will be a severe problem in Canada in the wake of COVID-19, especially for Military Members, Veterans, First Responders, and Healthcare Workers (MVFH). However, gold standard face-to-face PTSD treatments do not meet current MVFH needs, which requires virtual interventions and minimal healthcare resources. Recognizing the need for a virtual, low-resource PTSD intervention for MVFH with PTSD and their loved ones, the investigators developed Couple HOPES (Helping Overcome PTSD and Enhance Satisfaction). Couple HOPES is a secure, online self-help intervention for those with PTSD and their partners (www.couplehopes.com). However, MVFH are now particularly likely to be exposed to traumas related to COVID-19. It is essential to identify if Couple HOPES is safe and helpful for couples involving MVFH with COVID-19-related PTSD specifically. This project will therefore test the efficacy of Couple HOPES compared to a delayed waitlist control in 70 couples wherein one member is a MVFH with COVID-19-related PTSD. The investigators will examine if Couple HOPES is helpful in improving PTSD symptoms and relationship satisfaction for such couples, and if it is more or less helpful to this end for these couples compared to those with other forms of trauma exposure. 70 couples including a MVFH with COVID-19-related PTSD, will be randomly assigned to receive Couple HOPES or to a waitlist. PTSD symptoms and relationship satisfaction will be measured \~weekly during the intervention and one month after it. Related problems (e.g., depression, anxiety, healthcare use) will be measured before, in the middle of, after, and one month after, the intervention.

Conditions

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Couple HOPES Guided, Internet-Delivered, Self-Help Intervention	Couple HOPES is a guided self-help intervention for individuals with PTSD and their partners based on Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD (Monson \& Fredman, 2012). This intervention consists of text and video-based content across seven intervention modules and phone and online-based coaching sessions with a paraprofessional. Participants are able to complete these modules in their own home or private location of their choosing. The primary outcomes are PTSD symptoms, relationship satisfaction, and the mental health and wellbeing of partners of those with PTSD.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-01-01
• Primary completion: 2024-01-31
• Completion: 2024-01-31
• First posted: 2021-02-21
• Last updated: 2024-07-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada