Attention Control Training for PTSD Related to Combat or Interpersonal Violence

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Participants will complete a pre and post training psychological assessment. Participants will be assigned to attention control training or the comparison stimuli computer task in a double-blind randomized control trial design. Both computerized dot probe tasks display two stimuli on a computer screen, one above the other, followed by a small right or left arrow appearing in the location vacated by one of the stimuli. Participants are required to respond as quickly as they can by pressing the indicated right or left arrow on their computer keyboard without compromising accuracy. Participants complete 6 training sessions.

Official Title
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Randomized Clinical Trials of Attention Control Training for PTSD Related to Combat or Interpersonal Violence

Conditions
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PTSD

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Attention Control Training
* Behavioral: Comparison Task


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: military veteran or woman exposed to interpersonal violence (e.g. domestic or sexual violence). significant symptoms of PTSD Exclusion Criteria: bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, unable to attend sessions sober.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 19 Years
Maximum Age: 80 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

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: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Attention Control Training Clinic<br>Attention Control Training Clinic will consist of: 6 sessions in the clinic lasting approximately 10 minutes each. Each session will consist of 128 presentations of pairs of neutral and threatening stimuli, followed by the presentation of a response cue (right or left arrow to be clicked on a computer keyboard). | Behavioral: Attention Control Training<br>* Attention control training teaches participants that the emotional salience of cues (i.e., threatening or neutral) is not related to successful completion of the computerized response task, and thus, teaches participants to ignore irrelevant threat-related contingencies (Badura-Brack et al., 2015).<br>|
| Experimental: Attention Control Training Web-delivery<br>Attention Control Training Web-delivery will consist of: 6 sessions lasting approximately 10 minutes each logged into via the internet from the participants' home. Each session will consist of 128 presentations of pairs of neutral and threatening stimuli, followed by the presentation of a response cue (right or left arrow to be clicked on a computer keyboard). Ideally participants will complete 2 sessions per week, allowing them to complete the trial in less than one month's time | Behavioral: Attention Control Training<br>* Attention control training teaches participants that the emotional salience of cues (i.e., threatening or neutral) is not related to successful completion of the computerized response task, and thus, teaches participants to ignore irrelevant threat-related contingencies (Badura-Brack et al., 2015).<br>|
| Placebo Comparator: Comparison Task Clinic<br>6 sessions in the clinic of a presumably inactive neutral-neutral stimuli intervention lasting approximately 10 minutes each. Each session will consist of 128 presentations of pairs of faces, followed by the presentation of a response cue (right or left arrow to be clicked on a computer keyboard). (Note that those receiving this arm, are invited to repeat the attention control training web-delivery arm at the end of their participation). | Behavioral: Attention Control Training<br>* Attention control training teaches participants that the emotional salience of cues (i.e., threatening or neutral) is not related to successful completion of the computerized response task, and thus, teaches participants to ignore irrelevant threat-related contingencies (Badura-Brack et al., 2015).<br>Behavioral: Comparison Task<br>* Neutral- neutral stimuli prior to response task<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms from pre to post test | Structured diagnostic interview for PTSD | 30 minute long administration at both pre and post training to measure change. (repeat assessments are conducted 1 month apart) |