NET in psychosis
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The process and impact of Narrative Exposure Therapy for people experiencing psychosis
IRAS ID
291094
Contact name
Miriam Fornells-Ambrojo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z364106, UCL Data Protection Number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 28 days
Research summary
Research has shown that individuals experiencing psychosis often report multiple trauma histories; rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are higher in individuals experiencing psychosis than in the general population, with the risk of psychosis increasing with the number of traumatic events experienced.
While the link between trauma, PTSD and psychosis remains unclear, some research has suggested that both psychosis and PTSD fall on a spectrum of post-traumatic responses, and may be maintained by similar psychological mechanisms. As such, interventions effective at reducing symptoms of PTSD may also be effective in reducing PTSD symptoms for individuals experiencing psychosis.
Existing research on trauma interventions for individuals experiencing psychosis focuses on interventions developed to target single-case trauma. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a psychological intervention developed to target multiple trauma cases and has been found to be effective in producing sustained reductions in PTSD symptoms through exposure to and reprocessing of trauma memories. NICE recommends delivery of interventions for PTSD in people with psychosis, including eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy, trauma-focused CBT and NET.
North East London Foundation NHS Trust have recently introduced NET as a routine intervention for individuals in Early Intervention for Psychosis (EIP) services who report multiple trauma histories. Qualitative methods in implementation research enable in depth exploration of the implementation of complex interventions; this furthers understanding of considerations and adaptations that improve the practical use of interventions in services. This study plans to conduct qualitative interviews with EIP service users and clinicians about their experiences of receiving or delivering NET respectively, and their perspectives on mechanisms of change within the intervention. This will build understanding of the acceptability of the intervention, as well as possible adaptations for clinical practice and future research.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/LO/0525
Date of REC Opinion
8 Sep 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion