Promoting Positive Emotional Functioning in Police and Military Populations

This study will examine whether actively serving and veteran members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who complete a treatment targeting anhedonia symptoms and amplifying positive emotional processing: 1) experience significant symptom reductions in anxiety, trauma, and depressive symptoms; 2) report increased experience of positive emotions; 3) report improvements to broad functioning and quality of life; and 4) find the treatment to be highly tolerable.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Anhedonia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: PVSET

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 65
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Manitoba
    • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3J 0L3
      • Deer Lodge Centre

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Be an actively serving or veteran member of the CAF and RCMP;
• Have been referred to receive the treatment protocol at the OSIC at Deer Lodge Centre by a doctor or psychologist;
• Have previously participated in at least one evidence-based psychological treatment for depressive, anxiety, or trauma-and-stressor-related condition at OSIC but remain clinically symptomatic;
• Be able to speak, read, and write in English;
• Have no current psychosis, untreated bipolar disorder, or current suicidal ideation with plan and intent;
• Be on a stable medication regime and agree to not make changes for the duration of the treatment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: PVSET; Participants will receive a course of individual therapy through the Operational Stress Injury Clinic (OSIC) at Deer Lodge Centre. Therapy will consist of a validated treatment protocol known as Positive Valence System Enhancement Treatment for Anxiety and Depression (PVSET), which will consist of psychoeducation and positive activity interventions designed to increase positive emotions, cognitions, and behaviors. Therapy sessions will be facilitated by psychologists, licensed therapists (e.g., MSW, RPN), and/or graduate students in psychology under supervision at the OSIC. PVSET will consist of 6 sessions, each lasting one hour, and will be delivered either virtually or in-person at OSIC depending on patient preference.

Behavioral: PVSET; 6, one-hour sessions of individual therapy, consisting of Positive Valence System Enhancement Treatment for Anxiety and Depression (PVSET), which will consist of psychoeducation and positive activity interventions designed to increase positive emotions, cognitions, and behaviors.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in depression symptoms	Change in depression symptoms based on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Scores on this scale range from 0-27, with higher scores indication more severe depression.	6 weeks
Change in anxiety symptoms	Change in anxiety symptoms based on the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS). Scores on this scale range from 0-20, with higher scores indication more severe anxiety.	6 weeks
Change in PTSD symptoms	Change in PTSD symptom severity based on the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Scores on this scale range from 0-80 with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.	6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in positive and negative affect	Change in positive and negative affect based on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Scores on the two subscales of this assessment range from 0-50, with higher scores on the positive affect subscale representing higher levels of positive affect, and lower scores on the negative affect subscale representing lower levels of negative affect.	6 weeks
Change in quality of life	Change in quality of life as measure by the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q-SF). Scores on this scale range from 0-70, and are converted to a percentage, with higher scores indicating greater life enjoyment and satisfaction.	6 weeks
Psychotherapy progress	Psychotherapy progress as measured by the Outcome Questionnaire 45 (OQ-45). A total score of all subscales ranges from 0 to 180, with higher scores indicating more severe distress and functional impairment.	6 weeks
Treatment acceptability	Acceptability of the treatment program based on responses to a Treatment Acceptability Questionnaire. Scores on this questionnaire range from 5-30 with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.	6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Manitoba

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 5, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 12, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 6, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 6, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): September 13, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 4, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 29, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Anhedonia
• Other Study ID Numbers: HS26055 (H2023:201)

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