The study aims to examine the effectiveness of the group-delivered guided written exposure therapy (GWE) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD among Chinese adolescents with a randomized controlled trial. The study will recruit 50 participants, with 25 randomized to the GWE group and 25 randomized to the waiting list (WL) group. The GWE intervention consists of 5-8 group sessions. The primary outcome PCL-5 ( PTSD Checklist-5) and ITQ-CA (International Trauma Questionnaire-Child and Adolescent Version) will be administered on baseline, post-treatment, 1-month follow-up, 3-month follow-up assessments.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
53
guided written exposure therapy is a manualized exposure-based therapy program consisting of 5-8 sequential sessions. The interval between every 2 consecutive sessions is 0-2 days. There will be 5-8 group-delivered sessions in total (only one index trauma will be discussed), and 1-2 weeks to complete. The first and last sessions are scheduled to last for 1.5 hours each, while the other sessions will be 50 minutes in duration.
Participants assigned to WL will be asked to not work with other therapists or seek additional treatment for trauma-related difficulties during the 2-week WL period. After the one-month follow-up of the WET-R group, they will receive the same treatment (Group-Delivered guided written exposure therapy-revised version).WL participants will also be given contact information to use in case of worsening symptoms or increasing distress.
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5)
PCL-5 was a 20-item self-report scale that assesses PTSD DSM-5 diagnosis and symptom severity in the past month. Items were rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 0 ("not at all") to 4("extremely").The Chinese version of PCL-5 has shown good psychometric properties in trauma-affected Chinese children.
Time frame: baseline,post treatment(2 weeks), 6 weeks, 14 weeks
CPTSD symptoms
CPTSD symptoms include two parts: PTSD symptoms were assessed using six PCL-5 items mapped to ICD-11 domains: re-experiencing (items 2 and 3), avoidance (items 6 and 7), and sense of current threat (items 17 and 18). Disturbances in self-organization (DSO) were measured using the 6-item DSO subscale of the International Trauma Questionnaire-Child and Adolescent Version (ITQ-CA), which has demonstrated good validity in Chinese adolescent samples. The resulting 12-item composite yielded total scores ranging from 0 to 48, consistent with ITQ-CA scoring conventions.
Time frame: baseline,post treatment(2 weeks), 6 weeks, 14 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a 9-item self-report measure of depression severity over the preceding two weeks. Items are rated on a 4-point scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), yielding total scores from 0 to 27. The Chinese version has demonstrated good psychometric properties in adolescents.
Time frame: baseline,post treatment(2 weeks), 6 weeks, 14 weeks
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale
Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), evaluates symptom severity over the preceding two weeks. Items are rated on a 4-point scale (0 = not at all to 3 = nearly every day), yielding total scores from 0 to 21. The Chinese version has demonstrated robust psychometric properties in adolescent samples.
Time frame: baseline,post treatment(2 weeks), 6 weeks, 14 weeks
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), a 25-item self-report measure covering five domains: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. Items are rated on a 3-point scale (0 = not true to 2 = certainly true). A total difficulties score was computed by summing the four problem subscales and the reverse-scored prosocial subscale, yielding scores from 0 to 50.
Time frame: baseline,post treatment(2 weeks), 6 weeks, 14 weeks
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.