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UCLA Couples Counseling for Combat Veterans (CCCV)

This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified June 2012 by University of California, Los Angeles
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Shirley Glynn, University of California, Los Angeles
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT01627548
First received: June 21, 2012
Last updated: NA
Last verified: June 2012
History: No changes posted
  Purpose

A pilot intervention of an existing intervention adapted for the returning warfighter population: a couples treatment for PTSD, Structured Approach Therapy (SAT), which emphasizes reducing the PTSD avoidance/numbing symptoms that are corrosive in families.


Condition Intervention
PTSD
Recent Era Combat Veteran
Couples Communication
 Behavioral: Structured Approach Therapy

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: UCLA Welcome Back Veterans Family Resilience Center Couples Counseling for Combat Veterans

Resource links provided by NLM:

MedlinePlus related topics: Anxiety
U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by University of California, Los Angeles:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Improved couples communication as measured by standardized assessments [ Time Frame: 4-6 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Estimated Enrollment: 24
Study Start Date: January 2012
Estimated Study Completion Date: November 2013
Estimated Primary Completion Date: November 2013 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Active Comparator: Waitlisted Intervention
Couple will be consented, assessed and randomized to a waitlist of 4 months. The couple will be reassessed at 8 weeks and prior to initiating intervention.
 Behavioral: Structured Approach Therapy
The SAT treatment is provided in 12 weekly 50-minute sessions and is fully manualized. First, couple-based exposure techniques are used to address anxiety about intimacy, increasing the traumatized person's ability to engage in social and relational behaviors that promote bonding and satisfaction. Second, as anxiety decreases, couple-based techniques are also used to increase the positive experiences the couple is having. These activities expose the traumatized person to positive feelings instead of anxiety, so that he/she may become desensitized to the anxiety caused by the closeness, and more comfortable engaging in intimate behaviors.
Active Comparator: Immediate Intervention
Eligible couples who are randomized to immediate intervention will begin sessions with a trained interventionist within weeks of consent and initial assessments
 Behavioral: Structured Approach Therapy
The SAT treatment is provided in 12 weekly 50-minute sessions and is fully manualized. First, couple-based exposure techniques are used to address anxiety about intimacy, increasing the traumatized person's ability to engage in social and relational behaviors that promote bonding and satisfaction. Second, as anxiety decreases, couple-based techniques are also used to increase the positive experiences the couple is having. These activities expose the traumatized person to positive feelings instead of anxiety, so that he/she may become desensitized to the anxiety caused by the closeness, and more comfortable engaging in intimate behaviors.

  Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • OIF/OEF/ OND veteran with at least one deployment
  • In a cohabitating relationship for 6 months or longer
  • Cohabitating 50% of the time or more
  • Diagnosed with PTSD or meets the diagnosis criteria for PTSD as related to deployment experience (CAPS)
  • Ability to make weekly appointments
  • Willingness to commit to change

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Receiving an evidence-based treatment for PTSD within the past 6 months
  • Receiving couples therapy within the last 6 months
  • Moderate or excessive physical violence within the past 3 months (CTS)
  • Alcohol/substance dependence (SCID)
  • Known domestic violence/abuse (CTS)
  • Symptoms of psychosis within the past 3 months
  • Unstable psychiatric medicine usage or on regimen less than 3 months
  Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01627548

Contacts
Contact: Lina Berrio, MPH 310-702-3991 welcomebackveteransUCLA@gmail.com
Contact: Alex Lee, MSW 855-231-9500 welcomebackveteransUCLA@gmail.com

Locations
United States, California
UCLA Semel Institute Recruiting
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
Contact: Lina Berrio, MPH     310-702-3991     welcomebackveteransUCLA@gmail.com    
Contact: Alex Lee, MSW     855-231-9500     welcomebackveteransUCLA@gmail.com    
Principal Investigator: Patricia E Lester, MD            
Sponsors and Collaborators
University of California, Los Angeles
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
Investigators
Principal Investigator: Shrley M Glynn, PhD University of California, Los Angeles
Principal Investigator: Patricia E Lester, MD University of California, Los Angeles
  More Information

No publications provided

Responsible Party: Shirley Glynn, Associate Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01627548     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: 11-003109
Study First Received: June 21, 2012
Last Updated: June 21, 2012
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board

Keywords provided by University of California, Los Angeles:
PTSD
Couples
Combat Veteran
Warfighter
OEF
 OIF
OND
Structured Approach Therapy
Trauma

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorders, Traumatic
Anxiety Disorders
Mental Disorders

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on May 16, 2013