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RECRUITINGINTERVENTIONAL

Written Exposure Therapy for Veterans With SUD and PTSD

Written Exposure Therapy (WET) as a Brief Trauma Treatment for Veterans With Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders and PTSD

Important: This information is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

About This Trial

The proposed project will evaluate the efficacy of written exposure therapy (WET) among Veterans engaged in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, who present with co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While SUD treatment programs traditionally do not address PTSD, effective trauma treatments have been used successfully among those with substance use comorbidities. WET is a brief trauma-focused intervention shown to effectively treat PTSD. In a recent acceptability and feasibility pilot study among Veterans with co-occurring SUD and PTSD, results showed a decrease in PTSD symptoms among participants receiving WET. The goal of the present study is to improve outcomes for Veterans who present for SUD treatment with comorbid SUD/PTSD.

Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)

Who May Qualify: - Veterans ages 18 years old or older; - Meets DSM-5 criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD); - Meets DSM-5 criteria for PTSD; - Approved for SUD treatment at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Who Should NOT Join This Trial: - Veterans who meet current criteria for schizophrenia, schizophrenia-type disorders, or unmedicated mania or bipolar disorder as determined by QuickSCID-5; - current suicidal or homicidal risks necessitating a higher level of care; - Veterans who have received an Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for PTSD protocol within the past 6 months; - Problems that would prevent a participant from completing the writing intervention or study assessments (e.g., illiteracy). To assess for literacy, participants will read parts of the consent out loud. Always talk to your doctor about whether this trial is right for you.

Original Eligibility Criteria

View original clinical language
Inclusion Criteria: * Veterans ages 18 years old or older; * Meets DSM-5 criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD); * Meets DSM-5 criteria for PTSD; * Approved for SUD treatment at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Exclusion Criteria: * Veterans who meet current criteria for schizophrenia, schizophrenia-type disorders, or unmedicated mania or bipolar disorder as determined by QuickSCID-5; * current suicidal or homicidal risks necessitating a higher level of care; * Veterans who have received an Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for PTSD protocol within the past 6 months; * Problems that would prevent a participant from completing the writing intervention or study assessments (e.g., illiteracy). To assess for literacy, participants will read parts of the consent out loud.

Treatments Being Tested

BEHAVIORAL

Written Exposure Therapy

Written Exposure Therapy is a 5 session treatment in which individuals write about their trauma event in a specified manner.

BEHAVIORAL

Neutral Topic Writing

Treatment as Usual augmented by 5 sessions of Neutral Topic Writing which involves writing about specific objects (e.g., what they have eaten over the past week) or events (e.g., what they did since yesterday) in detail without discussing thoughts or feelings.

Locations (1)

VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT
West Haven, Connecticut, United States