Cognitive Processing Therapy Versus Prolonged Exposure for Treating Women With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Brought on by Sexual Assault

June 4, 2014 updated by: University of Missouri, St. Louis

Cognitive Processes in PTSD: Treatment

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy versus prolonged exposure therapy in treating women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) brought on by sexual assault.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

PTSD is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following exposure to a traumatic event in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. Many people with PTSD repeatedly relive the trauma in the form of flashback episodes, memories, nightmares, or frightening thoughts. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) versus prolonged exposure therapy in treating women with PTSD brought on by sexual assault.

Participants in this single-blind study will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: CPT, prolonged exposure therapy (PE), or minimal attention (MA). Individuals assigned to receive CPT will attend therapy sessions twice weekly for 6 weeks. Each session will be 1 hour long, except for sessions 4 and 5, which will be 1.5 hours long. CPT will focus on helping each individual to process accurate memories of the traumatic event and to work through any memories that cannot be completely ignored, nor completely integrated back into their thinking. Also included in CPT will be an exposure component, in which participants will be encouraged to recall the traumatic event and experience any emotions connected to it. Participants assigned to receive PE therapy will attend an initial 1-hour therapy session, followed by 4 weeks of additional sessions that will meet twice weekly. Each of these 8 sessions will be 1.5 hours long. PE will entail oral exposure without modification of the participant's cognitions. Participants will discuss their traumatic experiences in detail during each session to aid in emotional processing. All PE sessions will be audio taped. Participants will listen to the tapes of their sessions on their own to further assist with emotional processing. Individuals assigned to receive MA will receive no therapy for the first 6 weeks. At the end of this initial phase, they will be assigned to receive either CPT or PE if they still meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD, feelings of guilt and shame, and overall perception of self and surroundings will be assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and at follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 9 months post-treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

120

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
    • Missouri
      • St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63121-4499
        • Center for Trauma and Recovery, University of Missouri - St. Louis

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • History of at least one incidence of rape
  • Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Rape occurred before the age of 13 and was committed by a family member
  • Rape was committed by a spouse who is currently living in the same household
  • Psychosis
  • Mental retardation
  • Current pathology that may complicate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Currently suicidal or parasuicidal
  • Currently addicted to drugs or alcohol
  • Illiterate

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: Single

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms; measured immediately post-treatment and at 3, 6, and 9 months post-treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Feelings of guilt and shame; measured immediately post-treatment and at 3, 6, and 9 months post-treatment
Overall perception of self and surroundings; measured immediately post-treatment and at 3, 6, and 9 months post-treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Missouri, St. Louis

Collaborators

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Patricia A. Resick, PhD, National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Sciences Division

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

May 1, 1994

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 13, 2005

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 13, 2005

First Posted (Estimate)

October 17, 2005

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 5, 2014

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 4, 2014

Last Verified

June 1, 2014

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01MH051509-05 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • DSIR AT-AS

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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