A Feasibility Study of Internet Delivered Prolonged Exposure

December 6, 2023 updated by: Maria Bragesjo, Karolinska Institutet

A Feasibility Study of Internet Delivered Prolonged Exposure for Patients Wit Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

The primary objective with this study is to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of ten weeks of internet delivered prolonged exposure delivered through a digital platform with therapist support. The secondary objective is to investigate preliminary effects of internet delivered prolonged exposure in terms of reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression and increase quality of life.

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

The investigators will investigate internet delivered prolonged exposure delivered as a ten-week treatment comprising of six modules (psychoeducation/rational, in vivo exposure, imaginal exposure, common problems during exposure, hot spots and relapse prevention). The feasibility and acceptability and preliminary effects of treatment- and assessment procedures will be evaluated using a within-group design with repeated measurements and qualitative interviews. Recruitment is designed to be broadly inclusive with minimal exclusion criteria. Patients will be recruited from a psychiatric clinic specialized in PTSD in Stockholm, Sweden and by advertisements in newspapers and social media.

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.
30

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Sweden
      • Stockholm, Sweden
        • Traumaprogrammet, Psykiatri Sydväst

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Currently primary diagnosis PTSD according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD
  • ≥ 18 years
  • Fluent in Swedish
  • Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • PTSD is not the primary concern
  • Initiation or adjustment of any psychotropic medication within the last 4 weeks prior to commencement of treatment
  • Ongoing substance dependence
  • Current suicide risk meriting crisis intervention
  • Psychotic disorder
  • Ongoing trauma-focused psychological treatment
  • Ongoing trauma-related threat (e.g. living with a violent spouse)

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Internet delivered prolonged exposure
Internet delivered prolonged exposure for ten weeks with therapist support.
Behavioral: Internet delivered prolonged exposure
Internet delivered prolonged exposure for ten weeks with therapist support.

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
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of imaginal exposures made by the participant during the treatment period
Time Frame: Through the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
Number of imaginal exposures made by the participant during the treatment
Through the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
Number of in vivo exposures made by the participant during the treatment period
Time Frame: Through the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
Number of in vivo exposures made by the participant during the treatment period
Through the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
The proportion of participants that conducts the weekly measures and further assessment points
Time Frame: Through study completion up to the 6 months follow up]
The proportion of participants that conducts the weekly measures and further assessment points
Through study completion up to the 6 months follow up]
The proportion of participants that go through the entire treatment period
Time Frame: Completion of the treatment period, ten weeks
The proportion of participants that go through the entire treatment period
Completion of the treatment period, ten weeks
Adverse events related to the treatment
Time Frame: Through study completion, up to the 6 months follow up
Treatment acceptability
Through study completion, up to the 6 months follow up
Number of drop-outs from treatment
Time Frame: Completion of the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
Treatment acceptability
Completion of the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
Participants experience/satisfaction with treatment and assessment procedures through qualitative interviews
Time Frame: Completion of the treatment period up to the 6-month follow up
Qualitative interviews
Completion of the treatment period up to the 6-month follow up
Participants satisfaction with treatment, assessed by The Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8).
Time Frame: Completion of the treatment period, up to 10 weeks
The CSQ-8 yields a single score measuring a single dimension of overall satisfaction. An "overall score" is calculated by summing the score on each of the eight scale item. Scores range from 8 to 32, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction.
Completion of the treatment period, up to 10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in PTSD symptoms as assessed by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 month and 6 months follow up
The CAPS-5 is structured interview that assesses the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders version 5 (DSM-5) criteria for PTSD (Weathers et al., 2013). Each item is rated on a severity scale ranging from 0 (Absent) to 4 (Extreme/incapacitating) and combines information about frequency and intensity for each of the 20 symptoms. Total Score (Range 0-80 with higher scores representing more PTSD symptoms.
Baseline, 1 month and 6 months follow up
Change in PTSD symptoms as assessed by the PTSD Check List - DSM-5 (PCL-5)
Time Frame: Baseline, weekly through 10 weeks of treatment, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report measure based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) criteria for PTSD. Total Score (Range 0-80 with higher scores representing more PTSD symptoms.
Baseline, weekly through 10 weeks of treatment, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
Change in ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD symptoms as assessed by the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ).
Time Frame: Baseline, weekly through 10 weeks of treatment, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
The ITQ includes six items measuring each PTSD symptom cluster and these items measure how bothersome each symptom has been in the past month. The ITQ also includes six items measuring each 'Disturbance in Self- Organization' (DSO) symptom in complex PTSD. These items measure how a respondent typically feels, thinks about oneself, and relates to others. The PTSD and DSO symptoms are accompanied by three items measuring associated functional impairments in the domains of social, occupation, and other important areas of life. All items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (Not at all) to 4 (Extremely). Thus, PTSD and DSO symptom scores range from 0 to 24 and CPTSD symptom scores range from 0 to 48. Higher scores represents more PTSD and complex PTSD symptoms.
Baseline, weekly through 10 weeks of treatment, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
Change in depressive symptoms as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Time Frame: Baseline, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
The PHQ-9 is a widely used and well-validated instrument for measuring the severity of depressive symptoms. Scores are calculated based on how frequently a person experiences 9 symptoms of depression ranging from "not at all" response is scored as 0; "several days" response is 1; "more than half the days" response is 2; and "nearly every day" response is 3. Higher scores represents more depressive symptoms.
Baseline, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
Change in quality of life measured by Euroqol, EQ-5D
Time Frame: Baseline, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.
Change in overall health from baseline to post treatment and follow up . EQ-5D is a standardized self-report measure of overall health status measured in terms of five dimensions; mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Mobility dimension asks about the person's walking ability. Self-care dimension asks about the ability to wash or dress by oneself, and usual activities dimension measures performance in "work, study, housework, family or leisure activities". In pain/discomfort dimension, it asks how much pain or discomfort they have, and in anxiety/depression dimension, it asks how anxious or depressed they are. The respondents self-rate their level of severity for each dimension using a three-level scale: 1 having no problems, 2 having some problems and 3 having extreme problems. A higher score indicate worse severity.
Baseline, post-treatment (immediately after treatment completion at 10 weeks), and the 1 month and 6 months follow up.

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.
Karolinska Institutet

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.
Region Stockholm

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: Maria Bragesjö, PhD, Karolinska Institutet

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 (Actual)

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.
October 18, 2022

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.
September 9, 2023

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.
September 9, 2023

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).
September 23, 2022

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.
September 27, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

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.
September 29, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

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.
December 7, 2023

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.
December 6, 2023

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.
December 1, 2023

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.
  • 2022-03465-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings