The purpose of the research is to learn more about how to treat PTSD for people directly impacted by incarceration (i.e., have spent time in prison or jail). This research will help identify if a PTSD treatment group that is used in community settings, and led by individuals with lived experience, is helpful in reducing PTSD symptoms among people who have been directly impacted by incarceration. Participants will complete an interview to determine whether they are experiencing PTSD, and if so, will participate in a 6-week therapy group treatment.
Two community Certified Peer Specialists (CPSs) who have experienced incarceration and re-entry from prison, and who have experienced trauma will be trained on delivering group Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Working with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and community organizations serving formerly incarcerated individuals, researchers will screen individuals for PTSD treatment need, and invite 48 eligible individuals to participate in group CPT co-led by one of the trained CPSs and a trained community therapist or provider. Eligible participants who are enrolled in the study will be invited to complete a 6-week (12 sessions total) group CPT therapy treatment for PTSD. Participants will also complete pre-, mid-, and post-treatment mental health surveys. Participants will also complete a post-treatment focus group or post-treatment individual interview where they are asked about their experience in the therapy and to provide feedback on the study as a whole.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
59
CPT is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy recommended for the treatment of PTSD. Delivered over 12 sessions with an emphasis on addressing trauma-related cognitions and challenging trauma-related beliefs. Includes homework assignments. For this study, CPT will be conducted in groups.
University of Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Feasibility: Participation
Will be measured as the percentage of invited, eligible individuals who elect to participate.
Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Feasibility: Rate of retention
Will be measured by percentage of participants who complete at least 9 of the 12 study sessions
Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Feasibility: Compliance through participation
Will be measured by percentage of participants performing intervention activities during session, such as contributing to the discussion.
Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Feasibility: Compliance through homework
Will be measured by percentage of participants completing homework assignments each week.
Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Feasibility: Compliance through completing assessments
Will be measured by percentage of participants completing the pre-, mid-, and post-intervention assessment batteries.
Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Ratings from 0-5 by clinical supervisors on therapist adherence to five session elements
Higher ratings indicate better adherence to session elements. Assesses for therapist adherence to CPT guidelines as secondary measure of intervention efficacy.
Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Ratings 1-7 by clinical supervisors on quality of session elements delivered by therapist
Higher ratings indicate higher-quality session element (scores 1-7; 1=not satisfactory, 4= satisfactory, 7=excellent) by the clinical supervisor. Assesses for therapist compliance as secondary measure of intervention efficacy.
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Time frame: Study duration (up to 2 years)
Change in suicide and self-harm ideation
Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), item 9. Participants will answer the item on a scale of 0-3, where a score of 2 or 3 indicates higher ideation.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)
Participant satisfaction
Using the 8 item Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8), participants will rate their satisfaction with their experience. Scale ranges from 1-4, with total potential scores of 8 to 32 with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction.
Time frame: One week post-treatment (up to 7 weeks)
Change in PTSD symptom severity
Using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), which is a 20-item self-report measure, symptoms of PTSD will be assessed. Participants will answer items on a scale of 0-4, where 0=Not at all and 4=Extremely. Higher scores indicate higher symptom severity.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)
Change in depression symptom severity
Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), which is a 21-item self-report measure to assess depression severity. Participants will answer items on a scale of 0-3, where lower scores indicate lower severity.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)
Change in trauma related thoughts and beliefs
Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) is a 33-item measure of negative cognition about the world, negative self-related thoughts, and self-blame. Participants rate each item on a scale of 1-7, 1=totally disagree, 4=neutral, 7=totally agree. Higher scores indicate greater levels of trauma.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)
Change in aspects of hopelessness
Beck Hopelessness Scale is a 20-item questionnaire, which participants answer true or false.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)
Change in substance use
Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and other Substance Use Tool (TAPS) screens for tobacco use, alcohol use, prescription medication misuse, and illicit substance use in the past year, as well as the past 3 months.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)
Change in anxiety symptom severity
Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), which is a 21-item self-report measure to assess anxiety severity. Participants will rate how much items bothered them as: Not at all; Mildly but it didn't bother me much; Moderately - it wasn't pleasant at times; or, Severely - it bothered me a lot. More symptoms that caused moderate or severe bother indicate higher severity of anxiety.
Time frame: Baseline to end of follow-up (up to 4.5 months)