Brief Prolonged Exposure Therapy Versus Clinical Standard to Reduce Posttraumatic Stress Post Spinal Cord Injury

Purpose

This study will examine the use brief prolonged exposure (Brief PE) therapy compared to standard clinical care to reduce posttraumatic distress among people who have had a spinal cord injury and are receiving rehabilitation in an inpatient setting.

Conditions

  • Spinal Cord Injuries
  • PTSD
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • 18 years of age or older - Admitted to the inpatient rehabilitation hospital diagnosed with a SCI following a traumatic event

Exclusion Criteria

  • Patients in police custody - Not fluent in the English language - Severe cognitive impairment - Patients who are acutely suicidal - Patients with active psychosis

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Placebo Comparator
Treatment as Usual
Participants in the Treatment as Usual (TAU) group will not receive Prolonged Exposure therapy, but will instead receive the standard clinical treatment received by all persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) at the rehabilitation facility. TAU participants will complete questionnaires/interviews at 1, 3, and 6 months from Baseline.
  • Behavioral: Treatment as Usual
    This may include an evaluation by a licensed psychologist and continued follow-up psychotherapy as needed. Treatment as usual participants will have follow-up assessments at 1, 3, and 6 months.
Experimental
Brief Prolonged Exposure
Experimental: Brief Prolonged Exposure Participants will receive Brief PE. Subjects in the Brief Prolonged Exposure (BPE) intervention group will additionally receive 3 total therapy sessions, each lasting about 60 minutes spaced about 1-7 days apart. Sessions include education about common reactions to trauma, breathing retraining, identification of self-care tasks and prolonged (repeated) imaginal exposure to trauma memories. Any missed sessions will be made up by scheduling multiple sessions in subsequent weeks. Individuals in the BPE group will complete a screener and then survey questionnaires/ interviews at 1, 3, and 6 months from Baseline.
  • Behavioral: Brief Prolonged Exposure Therapy
    Brief PE will include 3 therapy sessions, each lasting approximately 60 minutes.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Baylor Research Institute

Study Contact

Neil M Stewart
2148205843
neil.stewart@bswhealth.org

Detailed Description

This is a prospective randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of brief Prolonged Exposure Therapy (Brief PE) delivered in an inpatient rehabilitation setting post-SCI to reduce PTSD symptoms. The overall goal of this project is to test a Brief PE (three 60-minute sessions) to reduce psychological distress after SCI and to mitigate long-term post-SCI distress including PTSD as well as secondary health outcomes (including depression and general anxiety) at 1, 3, and 6 months from baseline. The intervention group (Brief PE) will be compared to standard clinical care with treatment as usual (TAU).