Examining the Efficacy of Short-Term Intensive PTSD Treatment on Psychological and Cognitive Impairment Symptoms

Part of paid clinical trials in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Sponsor
Ohio State University
Study ID
NCT07680517
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Cognitive Performance
  • PTSD

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy — BEHAVIORAL
    CPT is an empirically supported psychotherapy for PTSD that focuses on why patients believe the traumatic event occurred, how that event affected their beliefs about self and others, and how to evaluate their beliefs. Patients learn to label events, thoughts, and subsequent emotions while the therapist helps them examine the facts Session Focus and context of the trauma through Socratic questioning. Using progressive worksheets, patients are taught to examine their own thoughts and emotions and develop new, more balanced thinking about traumatic events. CPT's safety and efficacy is well-established; over 80% of patients receiving the treatment benefit and \> 50% reductions in PTSD symptoms are typical.
  • Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — BEHAVIORAL
    EMDR is another empirically supported trauma-focused psychotherapy that is strongly recommended for the treatment of PTSD by the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder (VA/DOD, 2023). Results of multiple clinical trials indicate EMDR's effectiveness for reducing PTSD symptoms is comparable to CPT's. EMDR directs patients to think about different aspects of an emotionally upsetting memory in mind while simultaneously focusing on an external stimulus. The most common external stimulus is therapist-directed lateral eye movements (e.g., tracking the movement of a therapist's finger back and forth with only the eyes) but other stimuli (e.g., hand-tapping, audio stimulation) can also be used. Half of participants who do not reach good end-state by session 10 will be randomly assigned to receive up to 5 sessions of EMDR during Stage 2.

Study Details

Our long-term goal is to provide rapid and sustained reductions of trauma and cognitive-related symptoms among Special Operations personnel with PTSD or subthreshold PTSD. The primary objective of this project is to examine the effectiveness of massed PTSD treatment (i.e., CPT and EMDR) in "real-world" military settings. CPT and EMDR are both empirically supported psychotherapies for PTSD. To accomplish this objective, we will enroll military personnel meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD or subthreshold PTSD (i.e., meeting threshold levels for 3 of 4 symptom criteria).

Key Dates

Start date
Apr 1, 2026
Status verified
Jun 2026
Primary completion
Aug 31, 2028
Completion
Aug 31, 2028

Study Design

Enrollment
120 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
SEQUENTIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: 10 Sessions
    If participants reach good end-state functioning by the end of massed CPT (i.e., session 10), treatment will be discontinued.
  • Experimental: Additional Sessions
    If participants do not reach good end-state functioning, they will proceed to Stage 2. In the second stage of treatment, participants will receive up to five additional therapy sessions. Participants will be randomized to receive either 5 more sessions of CPT, or 5 sessions of EMDR.

Primary Outcome Measure

Good End-State Functioning [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of study participation 12 months after enrollment ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Fort BraggFayettevilleNorth Carolina28310
Jaryd Hiser, PhD
[email protected]
6146858746

Find similar trials in Fayetteville, NC

By condition
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
By specialty
PsychiatryMental healthBehavioral health
By research site
Fort Bragg· Fayetteville, NC

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