Pediatric and Caregiver Traumatic Stress Intervention (PACTS) (PACTS)

April 1, 2026 updated by: Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Pediatric and Caregiver Traumatic Stress Intervention: A Path Forward After Injury for Pediatric Survivors and Their Caregivers

The purpose of this study is to learn more about how to help the caregiver and child survivor of a traumatic injury handle post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

This study is a trial to determine if a caregiver-child dyadic screening and caregiver intervention with pediatric trauma patients reduces traumatic stress symptoms in both child and caregiver, and depressive symptoms in caregivers compared to the current standard of care. The purpose of the PACTS Intervention is to identify and address the needs of the caregiver and the child survivor who are at-risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression following traumatic injury of the child.

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 (Estimated)

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.
24

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, 27157
        • Recruiting
        • Wake Forest University Health Sciences
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Elizabeth Shilling, PhD
        • Contact:

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Child requires inpatient treatment for an unintentional injury (e.g. burns, dog bite, road traffic accident) in the pediatric trauma and/or pediatric burns units
  • English-speaking adults, with English denoted as the primary language in the electronic medical record (EMR)
  • Caregiver-child dyads who screen positive with the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) Tools will be invited to participate in the randomized controlled trial.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients and/or caregivers with cognitive deficits, with psychotic symptoms, refusing treatment, and leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA) were unable to participate in counseling interventions by condition or by choice and are excluded from the study population

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel 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: Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) Tool - Trauma Counseling
Screening using Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) tool and one or more caregiver intervention during a single hospitalization
Behavioral: Caregiver Counseling for Childhood Traumatic Injury
Caregiver intervention will be provided by the counseling team that includes components of trauma narrative, psychoeducation, coping strategies, and resilience-building using, for burn patients.
Active Comparator: Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) Tool - Standard of Care
Screening using the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) tool and standard of care related to acute stress and post-traumatic stress
Behavioral: Standard of Care for Childhood Traumatic Injury
Control group receives the current standard of care provided by the counseling team

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
Change in Kessler 6 Scores
Time Frame: From baseline to Month 3
Administered to the caregiver to screen for secondary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - A six-item K6 screening scale for psychological distress - a short measure of non-specific psychological distress based on questions about the level of nervousness, agitation, psychological fatigue and depression - scores range from 10-50 with higher scores meaning a severe mental disorder
From baseline to Month 3
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9) Scores
Time Frame: From baseline to Month 3
Scores less than 5 almost always signified the absence of a depressive disorder; scores of 5 to 9 predominantly represented patients with either no depression or subthreshold (i.e., other) depression; scores of 10 to 14 represented a spectrum of patients; and scores of 15 or greater usually indicated major depression
From baseline to Month 3
Change in Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) Scores
Time Frame: From baseline to Month 3
Caregiver administered to caregiver to screen for PTSD in the child - The "Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS)" is a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5) based checklist that includes 15 potentially traumatic events or series of events, the 20 posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and 5 impairment items. The younger child version conforms to the DSM-5 3-6 year old PTSD symptom criteria. The CATS can be administered as a self-report or as an interview. Interview may be preferable with younger children or youth with reading comprehension challenges. Scores ranging from 0-16+ with higher scores meaning more probability of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
From baseline to Month 3

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.
Wake Forest University Health Sciences

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.
Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma

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: Elizabeth Shilling, PhD, Wake Forest University Health Sciences

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.
November 26, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
July 1, 2026

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).
April 10, 2024

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.
April 10, 2024

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.
April 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
April 6, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • IRB00110030

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

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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.

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