Family Involvement in Treatment for PTSD (FIT-PTSD): A Brief, Feasible Method for Enhancing Outcomes, Retention, and Engagement

Status: Recruiting
Location: See all (3) locations...
Intervention Type: Behavioral
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

Although effective treatments for PTSD exist, high rates of treatment dropout and sub-optimal response rates remain common. Incorporating family members in treatment represents one avenue for improving outcomes and providing Veteran-centered care, and surveys of Veterans in outpatient VA PTSD care indicate that 80% desire family involvement. The VA has invested many years and millions of dollars on the dissemination of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD. A family-based intervention that complements these two first-line treatments would capitalize on existing treatment infrastructure while also potentially boosting outcomes and retention. Preliminary testing of the proposed Brief Family Intervention (BFI) resulted in 50% less dropout from CPT/PE among Veterans whose family members received the BFI. There was also a large impact on PTSD symptoms at 16 weeks (d = 1.12) in favor of the BFI group. The goal of this study is to test the effectiveness of the BFI among a fully-powered sample. One hundred Veteran-family member dyads (n = 200) will be recruited. Veterans will be beginning a course of usual-care CPT or PE at one of two VA sites. Family members will be randomized to receive or not receive the BFI, a two-session psychoeducational and skills-based protocol. PTSD symptom severity and treatment retention will be the primary outcomes. Assessments will be conducted by independent evaluators at baseline, 6-, 12-, 18-, and 26-weeks. Veterans whose family members receive the BFI are expected to have lower dropout and a greater rate of change in their PTSD symptoms compared to Veterans whose family members do not receive the BFI. If the BFI is found to increase the effectiveness of and retention in CPT/PE, it will be a highly appealing option for incorporating families into Veterans' PTSD care.

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

• a current DSM-5 diagnosis of PTSD

• Veteran status

• willing to have a family member involved in the study

• has recently begun or is currently initiating individual CPT or PE (completed no more than 3 sessions of the protocol at the time of the baseline assessment)

⁃ If taking psychotropic medication, the Veteran must be on a stable dose for at least 30 days.

• age 18 or older, family member of the Veteran (significant other, parent, adult child, sibling, etc.)

• currently having frequent contact with the Veteran (three or more times per week)

Locations
United States
Massachusetts
VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus, Jamaica Plain, MA
RECRUITING
Boston
North Carolina
Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC
RECRUITING
Durham
Ohio
Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
RECRUITING
Cincinnati
Contact Information
Primary
Johanna Thompson-Hollands, PhD
Johanna.Thompson-Hollands@va.gov
(857) 364-2067
Backup
Cameron Busser, BA
cameron.busser@va.gov
(857) 364-4143
Time Frame
Start Date: 2022-07-01
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-03-31
Participants
Target number of participants: 200
Treatments
Experimental: BFI
Family members in this arm receive the 2-session BFI intervention.
No_intervention: No BFI
Family members in this arm do not receive the BFI sessions
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: VA Office of Research and Development

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov