The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) versus Present Centered Therapy (PCT) for male OEF/OIF Veterans with combat related PTSD.
The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) versus Present Centered Therapy (PCT) for male OEF/OIF Veterans with combat related PTSD. CPT has been shown to be effective in treating trauma survivors in several treatment outcome studies, but utility with Veterans has only been examined with male Veterans in one small pilot study. In addition CPT has never been compared to a treatment as usual or supportive psychotherapy condition to control for the specific and nonspecific elements of treatment. Although Cognitive Processing Therapy is one of the main treatment modalities at several VA's, including Cincinnati, it has never been compared to PCT, nor has it been used in a large, randomized study of male OEF/OIF Veterans. It is hypothesized that individual receiving CPT will show a larger reduction in posttraumatic stress disorder and related symptoms than those individuals receiving PCT. All male OEF/OIF Veterans will be screened for their appropriateness for the study by phone screen and then by an assessment technician. The Veteran will be assessed at pre, post, 3-month, and 1-year follow-up. The assessment technicians will be blind to the participant's condition. CPT is a 12 week long individual psychotherapy treatment shown to be effective at reducing PTSD and related symptoms for survivors of various types of traumas, including combat. PCT is a supportive counseling treatment that has been utilized as an alternative to waitlist control in VA cooperative studies of PTSD.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE
Enrollment
79
CPT is a highly structured protocol in which the client learns the skill of recognizing and challenging dysfunctional cognitions, first about the worst traumatic event and then later with regard to the meaning of the events for current beliefs about self and others.
Present centered therapy is a supportive counseling model developed by Drs. Foa and Shea. The treatment is called "present centered therapy" to 1) emphasize the need to focus on the participant's current life and 2) to conceptualize the problems as being caused by PTSD, and in some cases they may have been present for a long period of time. The treatment makes a connection between PTSD and current problems thus making it a more realistic PTSD treatment and still allowing PCT to control for nonspecific therapeutic factors
Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Clinician Administered PTSD Scale
Clinician-rated PTSD symptom severity; higher is worse; range at post-treatment is 0 to 80; scale scores are summed.
Time frame: Post-treatment, at 3 months and 1 year
PTSD Checklist (PCL)
17-item patient self-reported PTSD severity; higher is worse; range at post-treatment is 17-73; scale scores are summed
Time frame: post-treatment, at 3 months and 1 year
Beck Depression Inventory - II (BDI-II)
Gold-standard, self-reported depression severity measure; higher is worse; post-treatment range is 2-45. scale scores are summed.
Time frame: post-treatment, at 3 months and 1 year
State-Trait Anger Scale (STAXI)
Self-reported trait anger; subscale score is summed; higher is worse; range at post-treatment is 10-37.
Time frame: post-treatment, at 3 months and 1 year
State-Trait Anxiety Scale
Self-reported state anxiety; higher is worse; scale score is summed; range at post-treatment is 20-73.
Time frame: post-treatment, at 3 months and 1 year
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