The investigators are examining different treatment strategies of helping patients with PTSD and addiction.
The investigators hypothesize that Veterans in the integrated conditions will show greater reductions in substance abuse and PTSD symptom severity at the end of treatment and at 6 and 9 month follow-ups. The investigators further hypothesize that offering Veterans Prolonged Exposure (PE) at the onset of treatment in the integrated condition will leader to greater retention and satisfaction than in the sequential treatment design.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
183
Although almost every form of psychotherapy has been advocated for PTSD, all evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD are CBT programs that include variants of exposure therapy (Prolonged Exposure), cognitive therapy (CT), stress inoculation training (SIT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), or combinations of these procedures. Exposure therapy involves helping PTSD sufferers to gradually confront distressing trauma-related memories and reminders to facilitate successful emotional processing of the trauma memory and reduction of associated distress. Most exposure therapy programs include both imaginable confrontation with the traumatic memories and in vivo exposure to trauma reminders.
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is defined as a client-centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. MI is characterized by its spirit, which is defined as collaboration with the client, evocation of the client's own perceptions, goals, and values, and respect for the client's autonomy.
VA Medical Center, Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Philadelphia VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
PTSD Symptoms
PTSD checklist (PCL), the PCL version used with the civilian PCL. The PCL is a standardized self-report rating scale for PTSD comprising 17 items that correspond to the key symptoms of PTSD. Respondents indicate how much they have been bothered by a symptom over the past month using a 5-point (1-5) scale, circling their responses. Responses range from 1 Not at All - 5 Extremely thus the total score ranges from 17 - 85. Lower scores are associated with less severity/symptoms.
Time frame: 16 weeks
Drinking Outcome
Percent days of heavy drinking during the sixteen weeks. The percentage of days in which heavy drinking occurred ranges from 0 - 100% with lower days associated with better outcomes.
Time frame: 16 weeks
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