Summary

Eligibility
for people ages 18 years and up (full criteria)
Location
at San Francisco, California
Dates
study started
completion around
Principal Investigator
by Nicholas Holder, PhD

Description

Summary

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE) were widely disseminated as recommended posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments. However, post-9/11 Veterans with PTSD rarely initiate CPT or PE, especially as an initial treatment. Little research has explored the combinations and sequences of psychosocial and medication treatments that Veterans receive ("treatment sequences"). One common and understudied treatment sequence begins with stabilization treatment, which is designed to prepare Veterans for CPT or PE. There is a significant research gap in understanding how treatment sequence affects initiation of CPT or PE. The proposed research is an innovative, mixed-methods approach to assessing the impact of variability in treatment sequence, including stabilization treatment, on initiation of CPT or PE and applying this knowledge by developing a health services intervention that facilitates timely transition to CPT or PE. Research aims can improve PTSD treatment by increasing initiation of and reducing disparities in CPT/PE.

Official Title

Improving Care for Veterans by Understanding and Facilitating Transition to Recommended PTSD Treatment (CDA 21-194)

Details

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common mental health diagnoses among Veterans. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE) were widely disseminated in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as recommended PTSD treatments. Despite these efforts, few post-9/11 Veterans diagnosed with PTSD initiate CPT or PE. In the small percentage of Veterans who receive these therapies, CPT and PE are rarely the first treatment a Veteran receives. A common treatment sequence identified in implementation research, begins with "stabilization treatment," combinations of psychosocial and medication treatments that prepare Veterans for CPT or PE. Despite consistently identifying stabilization treatment as a common VHA practice, little research has investigated this treatment sequence. A novel approach to solving existing limitations in PTSD treatment delivery involves developing an intervention that both acknowledges the ubiquitous presence and benefits of stabilization treatment, while facilitating timely transition from stabilization treatment to CPT or PE. This CDA-2 aims to improve delivery of PTSD services in the VHA. The proposed research aims are: (1) To qualitatively understand Veterans' and clinicians' perspectives on selecting stabilization treatments and how stabilization treatment serves as a barrier or facilitator of transition to CPT or PE; (2) To develop and conduct a randomized, pragmatic pilot trial of a brief, Veteran-centered intervention to support transition from stabilization treatment to CPT or PE; and (3) To identify sociodemographic disparities in treatment sequences and to determine how treatment sequences influence time to CPT or PE initiation across the VHA.

Keywords

PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, New Health Services Intervention

Eligibility

You can join if…

Open to people ages 18 years and up

  • Veteran
  • Diagnosed with PTSD as part of an intake assessment at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

You CAN'T join if...

  • Inability to provide informed consent
  • Cognitive impairment that precludes comprehension of study materials
  • Active psychosis

Location

  • San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
    San Francisco California 94121-1563 United States

Lead Scientist at UCSF

Details

Status
not yet accepting patients
Start Date
Completion Date
(estimated)
Sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development
ID
NCT05165940
Study Type
Interventional
Participants
Expecting 40 study participants
Last Updated