Intensive Couple Therapy for PTSD
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Age: 18+
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Penn State University
Disqualifiers: Suicidal ideation, Homicide risk, Alcohol misuse, Manic episode, Psychotic disorder, Traumatic brain injury, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?The goal of this clinical trial is to test an abbreviated, intensive, multi-couple group version of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (AIM-CBCT for PTSD) in an active military and veteran population. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Does AIM-CBCT for PTSD improve PTSD symptoms?
* Does AIM-CBCT for PTSD improve associated symptoms (e.g., depression), romantic partner distress, and couple relationship satisfaction?
Participants will participate in a two-day retreat in which they are taught and practice skills to decrease PTSD symptoms and enhance their relationships. Researchers will compare AIM-CBCT for PTSD to the Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP) to determine whether it is superior to an evidence-based relationship education curriculum that is also delivered in a two-day multi-couple group format.
Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?
The trial protocol does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you are currently participating in certain PTSD treatments, you may not be eligible to join the trial.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment AIM-CBCT for PTSD?
Research shows that AIM-CBCT for PTSD, a therapy for couples, significantly reduces PTSD symptoms and improves relationship satisfaction. Studies with military and veteran couples found notable improvements in PTSD, depression, anxiety, and anger, as well as better relationship satisfaction after treatment.
12345Is Intensive Couple Therapy for PTSD safe for humans?
Research on Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD, including its intensive and group formats, shows it is generally safe for humans, with studies reporting improvements in PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and relationship satisfaction without significant safety concerns.
12356How is the AIM-CBCT for PTSD treatment different from other PTSD treatments?
AIM-CBCT for PTSD is unique because it is an intensive, multi-couple group therapy that focuses on improving both PTSD symptoms and relationship satisfaction by involving both partners in the treatment process. It is delivered over a single weekend, making it a more efficient option compared to traditional, longer-term therapies.
12357Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for military service members or veterans with PTSD and their romantic partners who are willing to participate. Couples must be married or cohabiting for at least three months, speak English, and one partner must have a confirmed PTSD diagnosis with significant symptoms.Inclusion Criteria
Couple is married or cohabiting for at least 3 months
Both partners able to speak and read English
I am at least 18 years old.
+3 more
Exclusion Criteria
Either person in the study is currently having thoughts of hurting themselves and needs immediate help.
Either you or your partner have experienced a serious head injury or have difficulty thinking or remembering things.
Couple is separated or have taken steps to dissolve their relationship
+5 more
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Treatment
Participants attend a two-day retreat for AIM-CBCT for PTSD or PREP, practicing skills to decrease PTSD symptoms and enhance relationships
2 days
1 visit (in-person)
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, anger, and relationship satisfaction
6 months
Follow-up assessments at 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month intervals
Participant Groups
The study tests an intensive therapy called AIM-CBCT for PTSD against the Prevention and Relationship Education Program (PREP). Both programs involve a two-day retreat where couples learn skills to manage PTSD symptoms and improve their relationship.
2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Active Control
Group I: Abbreviated, Intensive, Multi-Couple Group Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSDExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
AIM-CBCT for PTSD is an abbreviated, intensive, multi-couple group version of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD, an evidence-based treatment for PTSD delivered in a conjoint format.
Group II: Prevention and Relationship Education ProgramActive Control1 Intervention
PREP is an evidence-based relationship education program delivered in a multi-couple group format.
Abbreviated, Intensive, Multi-Couple Group Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD is already approved in United States, European Union for the following indications:
🇺🇸 Approved in United States as CBCT for PTSD for:
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Improvement of relationship functioning in couples where one partner has PTSD
🇪🇺 Approved in European Union as CBCT for PTSD for:
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Improvement of relationship functioning in couples where one partner has PTSD
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Penn State UniversityLead Sponsor
University of DenverCollaborator
Toronto Metropolitan UniversityCollaborator
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioCollaborator
References
Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: application to a couple's shared traumatic experience. [2018]Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (CBCT for PTSD) is designed to improve PTSD symptoms and enhance intimate relationship adjustment. Phase 1 includes psychoeducation about the reciprocal influences of PTSD symptoms and relationship functioning, exercises to promote positive affect and behaviors, and conflict management skills. In Phase 2, behavioral methods are used to address avoidance and emotional numbing and to increase relationship satisfaction. Couples engage in activities to promote approaching, rather than avoiding, feared situations. Phase 3 focuses on specific trauma appraisals and here-and-now cognitions that maintain PTSD and relationship problems. This article provides an overview of the treatment, a review of the outcome research, and a case illustration of a couple with a shared trauma (a stillborn child).
Intensive, Multi-Couple Group Therapy for PTSD: A Nonrandomized Pilot Study With Military and Veteran Dyads. [2021]Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (CBCT for PTSD; Monson & Fredman, 2012) is efficacious in improving PTSD symptoms and relationship adjustment among couples with PTSD. However, there is a need for more efficient delivery formats to maximize engagement and retention and to achieve faster outcomes in multiple domains. This nonrandomized trial was designed to pilot an abbreviated, intensive, multi-couple group version of CBCT for PTSD (AIM-CBCT for PTSD) delivered over a single weekend for 24 couples that included an active-duty service member or veteran with PTSD who had deployed in support of combat operations following September 11, 2001. All couples completed treatment. Assessments conducted by clinical evaluators 1 and 3 months after the intervention revealed significant reductions in clinician-rated PTSD symptoms (ds = -0.77 and -0.98, respectively) and in patients' self-reported symptoms of PTSD (ds = -0.73 and -1.17, respectively), depression (ds = -0.60 and -0.75, respectively), anxiety (ds = -0.63 and -0.73, respectively), and anger (ds = -0.45 and -0.60, respectively), relative to baseline. By 3-month follow-up, partners reported significant reductions in patients' PTSD symptoms (d = -0.56), as well as significant improvements in their own depressive symptoms (d = -0.47), anxiety (d = -0.60), and relationship satisfaction (d = 0.53), relative to baseline. Delivering CBCT for PTSD through an abbreviated, intensive multi-couple group format may be an efficient strategy for improving patient, partner, and relational well-being in military and veteran couples with PTSD.
Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: application to operation enduring and Iraqi Freedom veterans. [2018]As the newest generation of veterans returns home from their duties abroad, many face the individual and interpersonal aftereffects of duty-related traumatic experiences. Despite the established association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and relationship problems, there is a lack of evidence-based conjoint treatments that target both PTSD and relationship distress. Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for PTSD was developed to address this need. The authors summarize knowledge on the association between PTSD and relationship functioning, as well as recent research on veterans and their partners. Following an overview of CBCT for PTSD, the authors present a case study to illustrate the application of CBCT to an Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom couple.
A Preliminary Examination of the Effects of Pretreatment Relationship Satisfaction on Treatment Outcomes in Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD. [2020]The primary goal of the present study was to investigate whether pre-treatment relationship satisfaction predicted treatment drop-out and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom outcomes within a trial of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for PTSD (Monson & Fredman, 2012). Additionally, we examined the influence of pre-treatment relationship distress on relationship outcomes.
Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a U.S. Veterans Affairs PTSD clinic. [2023]Cognitive behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a 15-session conjoint treatment for PTSD designed to improve PTSD symptoms and enhance intimate relationship functioning. Numerous studies of CBCT for PTSD document improvements in patient PTSD and comorbid symptoms, partner mental health, and relationship adjustment. However, little is known about its effectiveness in real-world clinical settings. Using an intention-to-treat sample of couples who participated in CBCT for PTSD in an outpatient U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) PTSD clinic (N = 113), trajectories of session-by-session reports of veterans' PTSD symptoms and both partners' relationship happiness were examined. Across sessions, there were significant reductions in veteran-rated PTSD symptoms, d = -0.69, and significant increases in veteran- and partner-rated relationship happiness, ds = 0.36 and 0.35, respectively. Partner ratings of veterans' PTSD symptoms increased before significantly decreasing, d = -0.24. Secondary outcomes of veteran and partner relationship satisfaction, ds = 0.30 and 0.42, respectively; veteran and partner depressive symptoms, ds = -0.75 and -0.29, respectively; and partner accommodation of PTSD symptoms, d = -0.44, also significantly improved from pre- to posttreatment. The findings suggest that CBCT for PTSD was effective for decreasing PTSD and comorbid symptoms in veterans, as well as for improving relationship functioning and partners' mental health, among a sample of real-world couples seeking treatment in a VA PTSD specialty clinic.
An uncontrolled trial of a present-focused cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. [2018]The efficacy of a present-focused version of cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (CBCT for PTSD) was examined in a community sample.
Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD improves various PTSD symptoms and trauma-related cognitions: Results from a randomized controlled trial. [2018]Numerous studies document an association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impairments in intimate relationship functioning, and there is evidence that PTSD symptoms and associated impairments are improved by cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy for PTSD (CBCT for PTSD; Monson & Fredman, 2012). The present study investigated changes across treatment in clinician-rated PTSD symptom clusters and patient-rated trauma-related cognitions in a randomized controlled trial comparing CBCT for PTSD with waitlist in a sample of 40 individuals with PTSD and their partners (N = 40; Monson et al., 2012). Compared with waitlist, patients who received CBCT for PTSD immediately demonstrated greater improvements in all PTSD symptom clusters, trauma-related beliefs, and guilt cognitions (Hedge's gs -.33 to -1.51). Results suggest that CBCT for PTSD improves all PTSD symptom clusters and trauma-related cognitions among individuals with PTSD and further supports the value of utilizing a couple-based approach to the treatment of PTSD.