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Written Exposure Therapy for PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

N/A

Recruiting

Led By Dana Holohan

Research Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be older than 18 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial is designed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) delivered to Veterans with comorbid PTSD-SUD while they are completing a 28 day-residential SUD program (DOM SUD).

Who is the study for?

This trial is for veterans enrolled in a residential substance use disorder program at the Salem VAMC who have both PTSD and SUD. It's not open to those currently experiencing a manic episode, with current suicidal intent, previous Written Exposure treatment, or inability to write.

What is being tested?

The study tests if adding Written Exposure Therapy (WET) to usual substance use disorder treatment helps veterans with PTSD and SUD. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either standard treatment or standard plus WET over five sessions.

What are the potential side effects?

Potential side effects may include emotional distress due to recalling traumatic events during WET sessions. However, specific physical side effects are not mentioned as it's a psychological intervention.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 16 for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)

Change in Brief Addition Monitor (BAM)

Change in Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)

+9 more

Secondary study objectives

Change in Cravings

Drug Screen status

Homelessness Status

+1 more

Other study objectives

Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: resWETExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Residential Written Exposure Therapy (resWET): Treatment as Usual (TAU) plus 5-individual Written Exposure Therapy (WET) sessions (40-60 min each; Marx \& Sloan, 2019) twice a week for two weeks and once a week for the final session, administered by WET trained psychologists, social workers, or postdoctoral residents. Treatment instructions are read, patients write for 30 minutes, and the writing is briefly processed. No formal written homework is required.

Group II: Treatment as Usual (TAU)Active Control1 Intervention

Treatment as Usual (DOM SUD): The DOM SUD (TAU) is a 24-bed intensive substance use disorder (SUD) residential program with a typical 28-day length of stay. The program focuses on evidence-based treatments for SUD such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Medication Assisted Treatment, and Contingency Management therapy. Patients diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are typically referred to outpatient PTSD treatment following DOM SUD and often attend Seeking Safety during the program. Most of the programming is group-based though Veterans also have weekly individual case management appointments.

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