Reclaiming Your Life After Sexual Trauma
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Sexual Assault and Rape
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic focused on measuring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Mental Contamination, Written Exposure Therapy, Sexual Trauma
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- individuals with a history of sexual trauma meeting past-month diagnostic criteria for PTSD (meeting diagnostic status on the DIAMOND and score greater than or equal to 33 on the PCL-5)
- individuals reporting current experiences of trauma-related mental contamination (greater than or equal to 30 on the PEMC and endorsement of current mental contamination at the time of the intake assessment)
- 18 years of age or older
- fluent in English (including being able to read and write in English)
- patients on psychotropic medications will be included if they have been maintained on a stable dose for at least 4 weeks prior to beginning the study and are willing to maintain a stable dosage throughout the study period; this procedure allows for a broader range of participants and avoids having outcomes assessment confounded by the initiation of medication during treatment
- patients must be willing to refrain from additional trauma-related treatment for the duration of the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
- We will exclude individuals diagnosed with psychological conditions that may be better addressed by alternative treatments; these conditions may include:
- any history of psychotic disorders or dissociative identity disorder
- manic episodes endorsed in the past year
- current anorexia nervosa
- imminent risk of suicide (i.e., intent/plan)
- severe substance use disorders.
- We will also exclude individuals who endorse factors for which the treatment being studied (WET) may be contraindicated. These factors may include having no or limited memory of the trauma that would prevent the individual from engaging in written exposures.
Sites / Locations
- University of Kentucky Clinic for Emotional Health (CEH)Recruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
Experimental
3-Week Baseline
5-Week Baseline
Participants in this arm are randomized to a 3-week baseline period with repeated weekly assessment after the initial intake. Following the 3-week baseline, participants receive 5 weekly sessions of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) followed by a 4-week follow-up phase with repeated weekly assessments, including a post-study evaluation one week after ending WET.
Participants in this arm are randomized to a 5-week baseline period with repeated weekly assessment after the initial intake. Following the 5-week baseline, participants receive 5 weekly sessions of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) followed by a 4-week follow-up phase with repeated weekly assessments, including a post-study evaluation one week after ending WET.