Reducing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms in First Responders and Frontline Health Care Workers

Conditions

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

18 Years - N/A

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC) — BEHAVIORAL
  Treatment will be given by telehealth or in person, depending on the participant preference. Content is drawn from the Full Prolonged Exposure model and condensed so as to deliver the most efficacious components in a brief format. There will be 4-6 weekly 30-minute sessions. Treatment follows the standardized PE-PC manual and workbook. At the end of the final session, the counselor and participant will review treatment progress and either conclude treatment or refer the participant to outside mental healthcare for more intensive treatment. Participants will complete surveys and complete homework during and following the study.
• EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU) — BEHAVIORAL
  Treatment will be given by telehealth or in person, depending on the participant preference and current EAP practices (4-6 weeks). This will be the standard of care practice at each EAP site. Usually, this includes up to six sessions of solution focused therapy, and referrals to an established network of community providers who specialize in PTSD treatment. All PTSD care received during the study will be collected and monitored as TAU. The type of TAU used will reflect the current practice in EAPs and will not be constrained in the study design. EAP staff will monitor and record all EAP care received, including tracking no shows and cancellations. Study team members will document care received outside of the EAP (including psychiatric medications) by self-report. Participants will complete surveys and complete homework during and following the study.

Study Details

This study addresses PTSD symptoms in First Responders and Healthcare workers. Specifically, it tests whether a brief PTSD treatment (talk therapy) effectively treats PTSD when provided to First Responders and Healthcare workers by counselors in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). The central hypothesis is that the PTSD treatment, Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC), will reduce PTSD symptoms and improve functioning, compared to EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU).

Key Dates

Start date

May 16, 2023

Status verified

Jun 2025

Primary completion

Aug 31, 2026

Completion

Aug 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment

410 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care
• Active Comparator: EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU)
  Employee Assistance Programs standard treatment.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5) score [ Time Frame: baseline to 6 months ]

Central Contacts

• James Garlick
  734-232-2663
  [email protected]
• Naomi Hemphill
  [email protected]

Locations (12)

Find similar trials in San Diego, CA

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