Trial results for a one-day life skills workshop for veterans with depression and related psychopathology were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2025-10-08, reporting a mean DASS-21 total score of 28.97 for the ACT on Life intervention group.
Background
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common injury among Veterans, particularly those returning from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A significant portion of these Veterans, up to 20 percent, experience persistent post-concussive symptoms. Many Veterans with mTBI also contend with stress-based psychopathology, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, alongside chronic pain. These co-occurring conditions often lead to maladaptive avoidant coping strategies, which, while offering short-term relief, can worsen or maintain mental health problems.
Trial design
This completed study, designated as Phase NA, enrolled 176 participants. The trial investigated a one-day life skills workshop for veterans with co-occurring conditions including Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Pain, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety. The study compared an "ACT on Life" intervention group against an "Education, Resources, and Support" group.
Key results
The trial reported several key measurements across both intervention groups:
- The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) -TOTAL Score (units on a scale):
- ACT on Life group: Mean of 28.97 (Standard Error 1.34).
- Education, Resources, and Support group: Mean of 30.77 (Standard Error 1.38).
- Military to Civilian Questionnaire (M2C-Q) (units on a scale):
- ACT on Life group: Mean of 2.296 (Standard Error 0.096).
- Education, Resources, and Support group: Mean of 2.395 (Standard Error 0.099).
- The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) (units on a scale):
- ACT on Life group: Mean of 42.38 (Standard Error 1.94).
- Education, Resources, and Support group: Mean of 47.36 (Standard Error 1.99).
- Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale (Pain Severity) (units on a scale):
- ACT on Life group: Mean of 5.77 (Standard Error 0.20).
- Education, Resources, and Support group: Mean of 5.87 (Standard Error 0.21).
- Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (units on a scale):
- ACT on Life group: Mean of 30.10 (Standard Error 1.18).
- Education, Resources, and Support group: Mean of 30.78 (Standard Error 1.23).
- Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) - Success (units on a scale):
- ACT on Life group: Mean of 48.80 (Standard Error 2.38).
- Education, Resources, and Support group: Mean of 51.54 (Standard Error 2.41).
What this means
The posted results provide measurements for various scales related to psychopathology, pain, and life skills in veterans who participated in the one-day workshop. For the DASS-21 total score, the ACT on Life group showed a numerically lower mean score of 28.97 compared to 30.77 in the Education, Resources, and Support group, suggesting a potential trend towards reduced depression, anxiety, and stress. Similarly, the ACT on Life group also reported a numerically lower mean PCL-5 score (42.38 vs. 47.36) and slightly lower pain severity. While these numerical differences are observed, the data provided does not include statistical analyses to determine significance. These findings contribute to understanding the outcomes of life skills interventions for veterans managing complex co-occurring conditions.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT04143243, titled "One-day Life Skills Workshop for Veterans With TBI, Pain, and Psychopathology: Evaluating Efficacy and Mechanism of Change", were posted on 2025-10-08 on clinicaltrials.gov.