Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by Trained Lay Counsellors in an African Refugee Settlement

October 25, 2007 updated by: University of Konstanz

Talking About Traumatic Events - A Randomized Controlled Dissemination Study of the Treatment of PTSD in an African Refugee Settlement

The study is a pragmatic trial to study the efficacy of two active methods of psychotherapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in a refugee camp in Africa. Treatment was administered by lay counsellors.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Traumatic stress due to conflict and war causes major mental health problems in many resource-poor countries, especially those coping with displaced populations. There is a lack of intervention research in these populations.

Te purpose of this study was to examine whether trained lay counsellors can carry out effective treatment of PTSD in a refugee settlement.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

277

Phase

  • Phase 3

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

  • Uganda
      • Mbarara, Uganda
        • Nakivale Refugee Camp

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

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Drug abuse
  • Psychosis
  • Mental retardation

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 1
NET
Behavioral: Narrative Exposure Therapy
Six session of Narrative Exposure Therapy
Experimental: 2
TC
Behavioral: Trauma Counselling
Six sessions of Trauma Counselling, using a variety of skills incl. exposure methods following the skills of the therapist
No Intervention: 3
Monitoring Group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms measured with the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale
Time Frame: 9 months
9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Expert diagnosis of PTSD established with CIDI interview
Time Frame: 9 months
9 months
Physical health symptoms assessed with a checklist
Time Frame: 9 months
9 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Konstanz

Collaborators

German Research Foundation

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Thomas Elbert, PhD, University of Konstanz

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

January 1, 2003

Study Completion (Actual)

April 1, 2004

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 25, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 25, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

October 26, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 26, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 25, 2007

Last Verified

October 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NeEl-Ug-01

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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