Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treatments for Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis (The SARA Study)

May 16, 2013 updated by: Arizona State University

Stress and Adaptation in Rheumatoid Arthritis (SARA)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes long-term inflammation of the joints and occasionally, other body tissues. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two different types of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing RA disease activity and improving mental health of adults with RA.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Symptoms of RA include swelling, pain, stiffness, and redness in the joints. Over time, joint deformity, joint destruction, and loss of function can occur. Even simple tasks of daily living can become difficult to manage for people with RA. Current treatment aims to improve symptoms, but there is currently no cure for the disease. Dealing with the long-term pain and the unpredictability of RA can cause symptoms of depression, which is common among people with RA, especially early in the disease. Improving coping skills and minimizing emotional stress may help improve the overall health of people with RA. CBT is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how we feel and what we do. This type of therapy emphasizes that people can change the way they think to feel or act better even if the situation does not change. The purpose of this study is to evaluate two different types of CBT that focus on stress, pain, and depression responses in reducing disease activity and improving mental health of adults with RA.

This study will last about 15 months. Initially, all participants will fill out a diary report about their symptoms for a total of 30 days. Half of the study participants will undergo a 2- to 3-hour lab session that will include blood collection, vital signs measurements, joint exams, questionnaires, and an interview about symptoms and medical history. All participants will then be randomly assigned to one of the following three groups:

  • People in Group 1 will participate in CBT for Pain (CBT-P), which will focus on altering thought processes as a way to cope more effectively with pain.
  • People in Group 2 will participate in Mindfulness Medication for Emotion Regulation (MM-ER), a type of CBT that focuses on being more aware of one's emotions and regulating them.
  • Group 3 participants will serve as controls and receive educational information on the causes of, course of, and treatment for RA.

Participants in all three groups will attend 2-hour weekly sessions of their treatment for 8 weeks. After treatment, all participants will undergo a 2- to 3-hour lab session that will include blood collection, vital signs measurements, joint exams, questionnaires, and an interview about symptoms and medical history. Participants will also fill out another daily diary report about their symptoms for 30 days. A follow-up questionnaire will be mailed to participants 6 months following the end of treatment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
136

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Arizona
      • Tempe, Arizona, United States, 85287-1104
        • Arizona State University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 75 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of RA

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently taking cyclical estrogen replacement therapy
  • Diagnosis of lupus

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
EXPERIMENTAL: 1
People in Group 1 will participate in CBT for Pain (CBT-P), which will focus on altering thought processes as a way to cope more effectively with pain.
Behavioral: Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Pain (CBT-P)
EXPERIMENTAL: 2
People in Group 2 will participate in Mindfulness Medication for Emotion Regulation (MM-ER), a type of CBT that focuses on being more aware of one's emotions and regulating them.
Behavioral: Mindfulness Meditation for Emotion Regulation (MM-ER)
EXPERIMENTAL: 3
Group 3 participants will serve as controls and receive educational information on the causes of, course of, and treatment for RA.
Behavioral: Rheumatoid arthritis education

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Pain, physical functioning, coping efficacy, positive and negative emotional affect, and depression
Time Frame: 6 months after treatment
6 months after treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Arizona State University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Arthritis Foundation

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Alex J. Zautra, PhD, Arizona State University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2001

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2006

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 16, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 16, 2007

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 17, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 17, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 16, 2013

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • R01AR041687 (NIH)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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