Prevention of Intrusive Memories and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms After Emergency Cesarean Section

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This pilot study aims to investigate the effects of a brief computerized intervention (the computer game Tetris) on intrusive memories and other posttraumatic stress symptoms following an emergency cesarean section. Patients who have undergone an emergency cesarian section will be randomly allocated to either the brief computerized intervention or usual care within the first 6 hours following the operation. Participants will be followed up at one week and one month. It is predicted that participants given the brief computerized intervention will develop fewer intrusive memories and less severe clinical symptoms than those who are not. This will inform the potential future development of a simple computerized intervention to prevent distressing psychological symptoms after a traumatic event such as an emergency cesarean section.

Official Title
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Can Playing Tetris Prevent the Development of Traumatic Intrusions in Mothers Following an Emergency Cesarean Section? A Pilot Study

Conditions
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Acute Stress Disorder

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Brief computerized intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Female, aged 18+ years Had emergency caesarean section within the past 6 hours Have given birth to a live baby at ≥ 37 weeks gestation Exclusion Criteria: Do not speak French sufficiently well to participate in assessments Have established intellectual disability or psychotic illness Baby was transferred to intensive care unit after the birth

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Intervention<br>Brief computerized intervention (computer game Tetris) plus usual care in the maternity department and completion of intrusive memory diary | Behavioral: Brief computerized intervention<br>* Computer game Tetris<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br>Usual care in the maternity department plus completion of intrusive memory diary | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of intrusive memories recorded by participants in an intrusive memory diary in the week after the emergency cesarean section |  | 1 week following the emergency cesarean section | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale (PDS) |  | 1 month following the emergency cesarean section | 
| Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS) |  | 1 week following the emergency cesarean section | 
| Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) |  | 1 week and 1 month following the emergency cesarean section |