Comparison of Couple-Based PTSD Treatment and Couple-Based PTSD Education
Condition: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
MeSH terms: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The study is designed to evaluate the efficacy of a novel couple-based treatment for PTSD,
      called Structured Approach Therapy, to decrease PTSD and improve the marital and social
      functioning of Iraqi war Veterans and their partners. The effectiveness of couples therapy
      will be compared with the effectiveness of a couple-based educational intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      The goal of the proposed study is to test the efficacy of a novel couple-based PTSD
      treatment, called Structured Approach Therapy, by randomly assigning 57 Iraqi war Veterans
      and their partners to either a 12-15 session Structured Approach Therapy program, or to a
      12-15 session PTSD Family Education comparison condition. The efficacy of the two
      experimental conditions will be ascertained by obtaining measures of PTSD severity from
      Veterans and measures of relationship functioning and emotion regulation from Veterans and
      their partners prior to treatment, immediately after treatment, and three months after the
      last treatment session. The investigators will test the hypothesis that couples participating
      in Structured Approach Therapy will show significantly greater improvements on all three
      clinical outcome measures than couples participating in PTSD Family Education. These
      hypotheses will be tested with an intent-to-treat analysis using general linear mixed models
      with main effects of treatment, time (baseline, end of treatment, and 12 week follow-up), and
      treatment by time interactions to model the longitudinal trajectories of the outcome,
      separately for the Veterans and their partners. The objectives of the Structured Approach
      Therapy intervention are to decrease PTSD severity, improve relationship and family
      functioning, and decrease problems in emotion regulation in a group of young Veterans at risk
      for developing chronic PTSD, and to reduce emotional distress and relationship and family
      problems in their partners.
    

Intervention name(s): Structured Approach Therapy; PTSD Family Education
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): The Structured Approach Therapy intervention includes education about the impact of PTSD on relationships; skills training to teach couples recognize and stop avoidance behavior; behavior activation training; emotion regulation training; and a couple-based intervention to teach Veterans with PTSD to identify and disclose trauma memories and related emotions to their partners. The couple is then trained to support disclosure while practicing empathic communication.; The PTSD Family Education intervention provides education for Veterans with PTSD and their partners explaining the signs and symptoms of PTSD; psychological problems that are comorbid with PTSD; and treatments for PTSD. Skills training and psychotherapy are not included.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Couples Therapy; PTSD