Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Memory Support (MS) Study

Conditions

• PTSD

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• CPT — BEHAVIORAL
  CPT will be delivered over the course of 12 one-hour weekly sessions (maximum of 18 weeks to complete treatment). Participants will have the option of receiving CPT in-person or via videoconferencing.
• MS — BEHAVIORAL
  The MS protocol consists of eight strategies: categorization, evaluation, application, cue-based reminders, practice remembering, attention recruitment, praising recall, and repetitions.

Study Details

The efficacy of psychological interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is likely limited by the difficulty participants have learning and remembering important therapy content. Accordingly, the present study will examine the utility of integrating a Memory Support (MS) intervention into Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an empirically supported and widely disseminated treatment for PTSD. MS was designed to integrate techniques aimed at facilitating encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of new learning into existing treatments, and has been shown to improve outcomes when integrated into cognitive therapy for depression. A pilot randomized controlled trial (n=52) comparing CPT with Memory Support (CPT+MS) to CPT-alone will be conducted. Study participants will be adults diagnosed with PTSD. The primary aim of the trial will be to determine if CPT+MS will lead to greater memory and learning of therapy content relative to CPT-alone, and to establish the acceptability and feasibility of integrating MS into CPT. Secondary aims include a preliminary examination of treatment efficacy, as indicated by the magnitude of changes in PTSD symptoms between conditions, and target validation, as indicated by associations between memory and learning of therapy content and treatment response. Exploratory analyses will examine several indicators of baseline memory-related cognitive functioning as predictors of memory and learning of therapy content, providing preliminary data to inform future research on personalized application of MS. Results of the trial will advance scientific knowledge about methods for optimizing memory and learning as a mechanism for improving PTSD treatment outcomes.

Key Dates

Start date

Jan 4, 2023

Status verified

Mar 2026

Primary completion

Jan 31, 2027

Completion

Apr 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

100 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Cognitive Processing Therapy + Memory Support (CPT + MS)
  CPT + MS will involve the same treatment strategies as CPT while incorporating deliberate and frequent use of memory and learning support strategies. MS strategies are designed to enhance the memory of specific treatment points, defined as any insight, skill or strategy determined to be important for the patient to remember and/or implement. MS is not designed to enhance memory functioning generally, but rather improve the encoding, consolidation and retrieval of specific components of therapeutic learning.
• Active Comparator: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
  CPT is a manualized, trauma-focused therapy for PTSD. Treatment consists of psychoeducation on the cognitive model of PTSD, identification of trauma-related stuck points (i.e. dysfunctional beliefs), and cognitive challenging techniques to help participants identify more realistic and adaptive ways of viewing their trauma, themselves, and the world.

Primary Outcome Measure

Mid-treatment Memory of therapy content assessed by the Therapy Recall Task [ Time Frame: 6 weeks ]

Central Contacts

• Joseph Carpenter, PhD MA
  617-435-5319
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Jamaica Plain, MA

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