Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in approximately 7% of adults in the general population. PTSD greatly impacts quality of life and often co-occurs with other conditions such as chronic pain. Individuals with co-morbid PTSD and chronic pain demonstrate higher PTSD symptoms and pain (as well as greater anxiety, depression, disability, and opioid use) compared to those with only one of those conditions. Gold standard treatments exist for both PTSD (e.g., Prolonged Exposure; PE) and chronic pain (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain; CBT-CP) and are generally offered sequentially (i.e., one at a time for the condition that is most prominent). Treating these conditions separately may overlook their interconnected nature, which may reduce efficacy and increase dropout. Thus, there is a need for an intervention to target both simultaneously, which may be more effective and efficient than treating conditions sequentially. This is a single-arm pilot study to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an integrated treatment for adults with comorbid PTSD and chronic pain. The intervention consists of 12 90-minute virtual psychotherapy sessions scheduled twice per week. The treatment draws from modules in PE and CBT-CP including psychoeducation, exposure to feared/avoided situations and activities, processing of exposures, behavioral activation, breathing and relaxation techniques, sleep hygiene, symptom monitoring, and structured homework assignments. Baseline and post-treatment assessments will be conducted.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
20
The intervention consists of 12 90-minute virtual psychotherapy sessions scheduled twice per week. The treatment integrates modules from Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain.
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York, United States
RECRUITINGFeasibility Indicator: Number of Participants Screened
Feasibility assessment will include number of participants screened defined as number of individuals who complete our initial eligibility screener.
Time frame: Baseline
Feasibility Indicator: Enrollment
Feasibility assessment will include enrollment defined as number of participants signing the informed consent form.
Time frame: Baseline
Feasibility Indicator: Number of Sessions Attended
Feasibility assessment will include the number of sessions attended on average (out of 12).
Time frame: Post-Treatment Assessment at approximately 6 weeks
Feasibility Indicator: Attrition Percentage
A feasibility measure of attrition will be assessed by examining the percent of individuals who did not complete all 12 intervention sessions.
Time frame: Post-Treatment Assessment at approximately 6 weeks
Feasibility Indicator: Number of Assessments Attended
A feasibility indicator of number of assessments (baseline and post-treatment) attended will be measured.
Time frame: Baseline and Post-Treatment Assessment at approximately 6 weeks
Feasibility Indicator: Percentage of Self-Reports Completed
Self-reports are administered at each assessment (baseline and post-intervention) as well as every other treatment session (every 2 weeks up to 12 weeks). Therefore, there are 8 total self-report assessments and the percentage of those completed will be calculated.
Time frame: Baseline, Post-Intervention at approximately 6 weeks, Every Other Treatment Session (Every 2 weeks up to 12 weeks)
Intervention Satisfaction
Intervention satisfaction will be rated with a Likert scale ranging from 1-10 with greater scores indicating higher satisfaction.
Time frame: Post-Treatment Assessment at approximately 6 weeks
Intervention Acceptability
Intervention acceptability will be measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1-10 with greater scores indicating higher acceptability.
Time frame: Post-Treatment Assessment at approximately 6 weeks
Qualitative Intervention Feedback
Open-ended questions that include assessing overall impressions of treatment, feedback on the frequency and length of sessions, challenges or barriers, likelihood of recommending this treatment to a friend, and comparison of this treatment to other treatments received in the past.
Time frame: Post-Treatment Assessment at approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Clinician Administered PTSD Score (CAPS-5)
Change in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) Score. Total Scores range from 0-80. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
The well-validated PCL-5 will assess self-reported PTSD symptom severity. Scores range from 0-80. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Pain Severity Subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)
Pain severity is a 4-item subscale with ranges from 0-10. Greater scores indicate higher pain severity.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Pain Interference Subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)
Pain interference is a 7-item subscale with ranges from 0-10. Greater scores indicate greater pain interference.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)
The 13-item PCS measure has scores ranging from 0-52, with higher scores indicating greater pain catastrophizing. Three subscales (rumination, magnification, and helplessness) are summed to form the total score.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ)
This 20-item measure results in a total score ranging from 0-120 with high scores reflecting greater acceptance of pain. Two subscales (activity engagement and pain willingness) are summed to create the total score.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI)
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
The 33-item PTCI yields three subscores: negative cognitions about the self, negative cognitions about the world, and self-blame. Items are averaged so the range of scores for each subscale is 0-7 with higher scores representing more maladaptive cognitions. A total score is calculated by summing each of the 33 items yielding a score between 33-231, with higher scores indicating more maladaptive cognitions.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Fear-Avoidance Components Scale (FACS)
This 20-item measure results in total scores ranging from 0-100, with greater scores indicating more severe fear-avoidance beliefs.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3)
This 18-item measure results in a total score ranging from 0-72 with higher scores reflecting greater anxiety sensitivity. Three subscales (physical concerns, cognitive concerns, and social concerns) are summed to create a total score.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST)
The ASSIST is a questionnaire that screens for all levels of problem or risky substance use in adults including tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine-type stimulants, inhalants, sedatives, hallucinogens, opioids, and other drugs. A score for each substance ranges from 0-39 with higher scores indicating greater problems or risks related to substance use. A total score is not computed and instead, each substance will be analyzed individually.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Expectancies for Alcohol Analgesia (EAA) Measure
The EAA is a 5-item scale. Items are summed to generate a total score ranging from 0-45 with higher scores indicating greater expectancy for alcohol analgesia.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18)
This 18-item measure results in a total score ranging from 18-90 with higher scores reflecting greater difficulties with emotion regulation.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
The PHQ-9 scores range from 0-27. Higher scores indicate greater symptom severity.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)
7 item self-report measure. Total scores range from 0-28, with higher scores indicating higher insomnia severity.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2)
This is a 37-item measure that results in 8 subscales: noticing, not-distracting, not-worrying, attention regulation, emotional awareness, self-regulation, body listening, and trust. Each subscale ranges from 0-5, where higher scores reflect more awareness of bodily sensations. A total score is not computed, and instead, each subscale is analyzed individually.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks
Change in Score on the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI)
The assessment yields an overall score and profile in 16 areas of life; health, self-esteem, goals and values, money, work, play, learning, creativity, helping, love, friends, children, relatives, home, neighborhood, and community. Subscales are computed by multiplying satisfaction (-3 to +3) by importance (0 to 2) and resulting scores are averaged to yield a total score ranging from -6 to +6, with higher scores indicate higher level of quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline to approximately 6 weeks