Evaluation of a phase-based treatment for complex PTSD - v.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of a phase-based treatment for complex PTSD
IRAS ID
174621
Contact name
Annette Lock
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway, University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 5 days
Research summary
This study will evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of a new, phase-based treatment for adults with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Complex PTSD results from extended abuse or repeated traumas, and the research literature suggests it is differentiated from PTSD from single-incident traumas by several additional symptom domains. These include: difficulties with emotions, difficulties with relationships, changes in consciousness (e.g. dissociation), negatively-affected beliefs (e.g. changes in the way you see yourself, or loss of previously-valued beliefs such as religion); and physical symptoms (e.g. chronic pain). These symptom domains are not targeted by standard PTSD treatments.
This will be the first evaluation of the treatment programme, which consists of three distinct phases: firstly a psycho-education group; secondly a compassionate resilience group, and finally individual trauma-focused therapy.
The study aims to recruit twenty participants who have been accepted onto the treatment programme. Quantitative data from questionnaire measures of PTSD and Complex PTSD from pre-assessment to the end of treatment will be analysed as a case series to investigate the effectiveness of the treatment phases.
Additionally, participants who consent to do so will be briefly interviewed in the follow-up period about their experience of the treatment. This will provide qualitative information about treatment acceptability with which to enrich the quantitative case series data.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/NW/0563
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jun 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion