Guided Imagery for Military Sexual Trauma-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Condition: Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic; Military Sexual Trauma
MeSH terms: Wounds and Injuries; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Sexual Trauma
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Military sexual trauma (MST) is a significant women's mental health issue. There is a crucial
      need for effective therapies for MST-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are
      well-tolerated and can be flexibly administered in a variety of treatment settings. Guided
      imagery is a novel, transportable intervention technique that meets these requirements and
      warrants research in PTSD. The proposed study will be a randomized controlled trial of the
      Guided Imagery for Trauma (GIFT) intervention for women veterans with MST-related PTSD. This
      minimal contact intervention is designed to increase coping, affect management and relaxation
      skills, and to fostering more positive images and beliefs associated with surviving trauma.
      The feasibility and tolerability of GIFT have already been demonstrated in an open-label
      pilot of 15 women veterans with MST-related PTSD, with very promising initial results.
    

Detailed description: 
      Study Aims: The primary aims of this study are: (1) To determine the efficacy of the GIFT
      intervention for women veterans with MST-related PTSD. (2) To determine the effects of GIFT
      on mental health and health services utilization, and neurobiological outcomes. (3) To
      identify predictors of GIFT treatment outcomes.

      Research Plan: We will conduct a 12-week randomized, controlled trial of GIFT in 38 women
      veterans with MST-related PTSD. Half will be randomly assigned to GIFT and half to a music
      control group. GIFT includes a pretreatment orientation and midpoint consultation session
      with a clinician facilitator, a guided imagery audio, daily self-monitoring of audio use, and
      weekly telephone coaching calls with the facilitator. The music control condition is designed
      to control for all nonspecific aspects of GIFT and matches the GIFT protocol in all ways but
      the two specific "ingredients" through which GIFT is hypothesized to have its effect: (1) the
      guided imagery audio, and (2) the facilitator's help in structuring and focusing use of the
      guided imagery audio. Thus, the key differences between the two groups are that controls will
      receive an audio of the relaxing background music used on the guided imagery audio, but not
      the guided imagery exercises, and controls' contacts with the facilitator is limited to
      psychoeducational information and general support, and will not include help in structuring
      and focusing use of the audio, which is a key component of GIFT.
    

Intervention name(s): Guided Imagery Audio; Music Audio
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Guided Imagery Audio listened to 5x per week; Music only audio to be listened to 5x per week
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Anxiety,; Depression,; Guided Imagery; Military Sexual Trauma