A Comparison of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Versus Present Centered Therapy (PCT) for Veterans
Condition: PTSD
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy
      (CPT) versus Present Centered Therapy (PCT) for male OEF/OIF Veterans with combat related
      PTSD.
    

Detailed description: 
      The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy
      (CPT) versus Present Centered Therapy (PCT) for male OEF/OIF Veterans with combat related
      PTSD.

      CPT has been shown to be effective in treating trauma survivors in several treatment outcome
      studies, but utility with Veterans has only been examined with male Veterans in one small
      pilot study. In addition CPT has never been compared to a treatment as usual or supportive
      psychotherapy condition to control for the specific and nonspecific elements of treatment.
      Although Cognitive Processing Therapy is one of the main treatment modalities at several
      VA's, including Cincinnati, it has never been compared to PCT, nor has it been used in a
      large, randomized study of male OEF/OIF Veterans. It is hypothesized that individual
      receiving CPT will show a larger reduction in posttraumatic stress disorder and related
      symptoms than those individuals receiving PCT.

      All male OEF/OIF Veterans will be screened for their appropriateness for the study by phone
      screen and then by an assessment technician. The Veteran will be assessed at pre, post,
      3-month, and 1-year follow-up. The assessment technicians will be blind to the participant's
      condition. CPT is a 12 week long individual psychotherapy treatment shown to be effective at
      reducing PTSD and related symptoms for survivors of various types of traumas, including
      combat. PCT is a supportive counseling treatment that has been utilized as an alternative to
      waitlist control in VA cooperative studies of PTSD.
    

Intervention name(s): Cognitive Processing Therapy; Present Centered Therapy
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): CPT is a highly structured protocol in which the client learns the skill of recognizing and challenging dysfunctional cognitions, first about the worst traumatic event and then later with regard to the meaning of the events for current beliefs about self and others.; Present centered therapy is a supportive counseling model developed by Drs. Foa and Shea. The treatment is called "present centered therapy" to 1) emphasize the need to focus on the participant's current life and 2) to conceptualize the problems as being caused by PTSD, and in some cases they may have been present for a long period of time. The treatment makes a connection between PTSD and current problems thus making it a more realistic PTSD treatment and still allowing PCT to control for nonspecific therapeutic factors
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: PTSD; OEF/OIF; Combat; Treatment; CPT; PCT; Cognitive