Behavioral Treatments for Acute Stress Disorder In Firefighters

December 11, 2015 updated by: Boston University

Developing Group Treatments for Acute Stress Disorder

This study will develop a treatment for firefighters experiencing symptoms of acute stress disorder (ASD). Effective treatments may reduce immediate symptoms and prevent the development of more chronic conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Exposure to traumatic events has reached unprecedented proportions in American society, and the rates of PTSD have risen significantly, particularly among populations with repetitive exposure to critical incidents. The continued threat of attacks against Americans warrants development of preventive interventions to reduce the occurrence of PTSD and its precursor, ASD. This study will determine the effectiveness of a preventive treatment in urban firefighters who have experienced a traumatic event.

Firefighters will undergo an initial assessment that will include an interview and self-report questionnaires to measure depression, anxiety, coping skills, social support, physical health, and work functioning. Following the occurrence of a traumatic work-related event, firefighters will be reassessed. The post-incident assessment will consist of self-report questionnaires that assess ASD symptoms.

Participants who display ASD symptoms will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: the first group will learn cognitive behavioral strategies for symptom reduction, and the second group will receive psychoeducation regarding common reactions to traumatic events. Participants' treatment will last for 12 weeks. Participants will have follow-up assessments 1 and 3 months after the interventional part of the study. Assessments will include clinical scales and interviews.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

169

Phase

  • 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
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Boston Veterans Healthcare System

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

Ages Eligible for Study

21 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Currently an active duty, nonofficer member of a Boston area fire department
  • Willing and able to comply with all study requirements

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnancy or plan to become pregnant during the study
  • Plan to relocate within 2 months of study entry
  • Psychotic symptoms within 30 days prior to study entry
  • Experiencing severe depression at study entry OR having suicidal thoughts within 30 days prior to study entry
  • Evidence of severe organic impairment that would interfere with participation in the study
  • Current alcohol or substance dependence
  • Currently awaiting outcome of a court case involving exposure to traumatic events through the fire department

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 Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1 Cognitive behavioral therapy
Behavioral: Cognitive behavioral therapy
Participants will learn cognitive behavioral strategies for symptom reduction
Experimental: 2 Psychoeducation
Behavioral: Psychoeducation
Participants will receive psychoeducation regarding common reactions to traumatic events

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Accute stress disorder symptoms
Time Frame: Measured pre- and post-treatment and at follow-up assessments 1 and 3 months after the intervention
Measured pre- and post-treatment and at follow-up assessments 1 and 3 months after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Boston University

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Rose T. Zimering, PhD, Boston Veterans Healthcare System

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

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2005

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 13, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 13, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

September 16, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 14, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 11, 2015

Last Verified

December 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R21MH064584 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • DATR AD-TS (Other Identifier: Other)

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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