Prevention of posttraumatic stress during inpatient rehabilitation post spinal cord injury: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of Brief Prolonged Exposure Therapy (Brief PE)

Model System:

SCI

Reference Type:

Journal article

Accession No.:

J90561

Journal:

Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

2022 , 30, 101030,

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Article describes the protocol for a study that will assess the ability of the Brief Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) intervention to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Brief PE includes education about common reactions to trauma, breathing retraining, prolonged (repeated) imaginal exposure to trauma memories, repeated in vivo/behavioral exposure to situations that participants are avoiding due to trauma-related fear, and discussion of thoughts and feelings related to exposure exercises. Two hundred adults with SCI will be randomly assigned during inpatient rehabilitation to either: (1) three 60-minute sessions of Brief PE (intervention group) or (2) treatment as usual (control group). The primary outcome measure (PTSD symptoms) and secondary outcome measures (depression, anxiety, pain, quality of life, sleep disturbance, and resilience) will be assessed at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. Hierarchical linear modeling will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the PE intervention on PTSD and secondary outcomes. Descriptive statistics will examine feasibility and will include the number of participants enrolled, the number of sessions completed, fidelity of Brief PE delivery, and average scores for difficulty and helpfulness of the intervention scales for those randomized to intervention. Successful completion of this study will provide an evidence-based program to alleviate PTSD following SCI and prevent long-term development of PTSD.

Author(s):