Mental Health and Aggression in Congolese Ex-combatants

June 25, 2013 updated by: Susanne Schaal, University of Konstanz
The purpose of this study is examine, whether a treatment approach, which is specifically tailored for perpetrators who have participated in violence (a variant of Narrative Exposure Therapy) is effective in the reduction of instrumental aggression and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The reintegration of former child soldiers and ex-combatants is a big challenge in war-torn countries. Former child soldiers and ex-combatants often suffer from mental health problems and show enhanced levels of aggression. The present study focuses on the reduction of appetitive aggression and the improvement of mental health in former child soldiers and ex-combatants in DR Congo.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

38

Phase

  • Phase 2

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

  • Congo
      • Goma, Congo
        • Reintegration camp for ex-combatants

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

16 years to 35 years (Child, Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Ex-combatants in Congo who live in a re-integration camp

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
No Intervention: Control Group
Experimental: A variant of Narrative exposure therapy
Behavioral: A variant of Narrative Exposure Therapy
During the proposed therapy, the client constructs a chronological narrative of his or her whole life which includes all traumatic experiences and perpetrated violent acts. All emotions, cognitions, sensory information, and physiological reactions are activated and linked to the autobiographical context.In five sessions the therapist and the client try to go through all important traumatic experiences and perpetrated violent acts. The sixth session is a group session with four to five clients. The group session is oriented on Interpersonal Psychotherapy and focuses on the role change from soldier to civilian.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Appetitive aggression (Appetitive Aggression Scale)
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months
Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, PDS)
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Symptoms of depression (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview)
Time Frame: 6 months
6 months
Functionality (Work and Social Adjustment Scale)
Time Frame: 6 months
6 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

  • Study Director: Thomas Elbert, Prof. Dr., 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

May 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 16, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 20, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

June 21, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

June 26, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 25, 2013

Last Verified

June 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DFG_2011

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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