Pilot of an Integrated Treatment for Comorbid PTSD and Chronic Pain

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in approximately 7% of adults in the general population. PTSD greatly impacts quality of life and often co-occurs with other conditions such as chronic pain. Individuals with co-morbid PTSD and chronic pain demonstrate higher PTSD symptoms and pain (as well as greater anxiety, depression, disability, and opioid use) compared to those with only one of those conditions. Gold standard treatments exist for both PTSD (e.g., Prolonged Exposure; PE) and chronic pain (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain; CBT-CP) and are generally offered sequentially (i.e., one at a time for the condition that is most prominent). Treating these conditions separately may overlook their interconnected nature, which may reduce efficacy and increase dropout. Thus, there is a need for an intervention to target both simultaneously, which may be more effective and efficient than treating conditions sequentially. This is a single-arm pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an integrated treatment for adults with comorbid PTSD and chronic pain. The intervention consists of 12 90-minute virtual psychotherapy sessions scheduled twice per week. The treatment draws from modules in PE and CBT-CP including psychoeducation, exposure to feared/avoided situations and activities, processing of exposures, behavioral activation, breathing and relaxation techniques, sleep hygiene, symptom monitoring, and structured homework assignments. Baseline and post-treatment assessments will be conducted.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• 18 years or older

• English-speaking

• Currently meets criteria for PTSD, assessed by the CAPS-5 (any trauma type) - Chronic pain, assessed by greater than or equal to 4 on a scale of 0-10 pain severity over the past 3 months

• Medically stable at the time of study enrollment (chronic illness and disability does not prevent attendance of outpatient therapy sessions)

• Stable on psychotropic medication for past 60 days

• Agreed to not change current medication or pain-related treatments over the course of the study unless medically necessary

Locations
United States
New York
Weill Cornell Medicine
RECRUITING
New York
Contact Information
Primary
Mariel Emrich, MS
mae2050@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0783
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-12-08
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-08
Participants
Target number of participants: 20
Treatments
Experimental: Integrated PTSD and Chronic Pain Treatment
Integrated treatment combining modules from Prolonged Exposure Therapy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain
Sponsors
Leads: Weill Medical College of Cornell University

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov