Active clinical trials for "Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic"

Social difficulties are serious and frequent complicating factors in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To better understand how treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder impacts neural mechanisms of social cognition, the investigators are examining behavior and brain processes associated with response to Trauma Management Therapy. Understanding the behavioral and neural impact of psychotherapy may contribute to development of more effective treatments for PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and impairing problem among Veterans, many of whom first seek treatment in primary care settings. PTSD is linked to reduced quality of life and increased rates of suicide. Additionally, social support, defined as the availability of others to provide emotional or practical support when needed, is frequently poor for Veterans with PTSD. For Veterans with PTSD, poor social support negatively impacts PTSD treatment engagement and outcomes, interfering with PTSD recovery. There is a need for additional brief, primary care-based treatments for PTSD that also work to improve social support in traumatized Veterans. The proposed research seeks to evaluate and refine such an intervention and establish a protocol for routinely measuring social support to inform treatment. This intervention and measurement protocol will likely improve Veterans' mental health and social relationships.

In this study, we investigate the role that deep sleep plays in the prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder after someone has been exposed to a trauma by boosting deep sleep with two drug conditions compared to placebo condition. Each volunteer in the study goes through all three conditions. The quantity of intrusive memories of the trauma will be compared between the three conditions.

This research study is designed to investigate the effects of a simple cognitive task (a memory reactivation cue following by playing the computer game "Tetris") on flashbacks and other post-traumatic stress symptoms after a road traffic accident. Patients presenting to a hospital emergency department soon after a road traffic accident will be randomly allocated to either the simple cognitive task intervention or usual care. Participants will be followed up at one week and one month. It is predicted that participants given the simple cognitive task intervention will develop fewer flashbacks and less severe clinical symptoms than those who are not. This will inform the potential future development of a simple technique to prevent distressing psychological symptoms after a traumatic event.

Soldiers in conflict or former conflict regions deployed in peace-keeping missions were and are often exposed to multiple traumatic events and situations in which they are forced to engage in violent behavior. The Preventive Narrative Exposure Therapy (Pre-NET) aims to reinforce resilience thereby reducing the risk of developing or aggravating PTSD or other mental disorders as a result of traumatic experiences. The effective prevention of mental disorders as a result of war deployment is expected to facilitate reintegration in civil life after deployment and reduce uncontrolled violence.

The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) in preventing the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when implemented within 30 days of a potentially traumatic event.

The purpose of the project is to develop and test a couples-based relationship enhancement group intervention for married or partnered Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans to prevent the perpetration of intimate partner aggression (IPA) among participants.

Over 150,000 soldiers are currently deployed in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and 12% of returning OIF veterans have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Intervening soon after the trauma is critical for long-term outcomes, since with time traumatic memories become resistant to treatment. The current study will compare treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) paroxetine to placebo in returning OIF veterans who have returned from Iraq in the past six months, who meet criteria for early PTSD. Assessment of PTSD symptoms, brain markers, neuropsychological testing of memory, and cortisol response to an Iraq-related traumatic script before and after the intervention are proposed to provide information about the effects of the interventions on PTSD symptoms and stress-responsive hormonal systems.

Purpose: Phase I focus groups with clinicians and patients will gather qualitative data to focus and inform the content of Phase II. In Phase II, 12 weeks of psychotherapy will be offered to evaluate feasibility and potential efficacy of a couples-based, integrated treatment for men with PTSD and alcohol dependence. Hypotheses: We predict that this experimental psychotherapy, Partners Encouraging Abstinence and Coping with Emotions (PEACE), will reduce patient drinking, reduce PTSD symptoms, and improve relationship functioning.

Brief Summary: The specific aims of this study are: To test, in a two-arm randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of cognitive processing therapy for sexual risk and posttraumatic symptom severity reduction (CPT-SR) in HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) who have histories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). The primary outcome is reduction in unprotected anal/vaginal intercourse (number and proportion) with serodiscordant partners. The investigators will also examine the intervention effect on CSA-related trauma symptom severity and cognitions and behaviors. To examine the degree to which intervention-related reductions in sexual risk behavior are mediated by reductions in CSA-related symptom severity, cognitions, and behaviors. To examine the degree to which the intervention reduces incident sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during the study period, as well as to explore additional potential moderators and mediators of intervention efficacy. Study hypotheses: For the primary outcome, the investigators hypothesize that those who receive the intervention will have reduced transmission-risk behavior. For the secondary outcome, the investigators hypothesize that those who receive the intervention will have reduced trauma symptom severity (cognitions and behaviors).