Enhancing social functioning in older veterans with PTSD: Rationale and design of an intervention and initial RCT.

Aging Intervention development PTSD Quality of life Social functioning Veterans

Journal

Contemporary clinical trials
ISSN: 1559-2030
Titre abrégé: Contemp Clin Trials
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101242342

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
01 Mar 2024
Historique:
received: 18 09 2023
revised: 06 02 2024
accepted: 28 02 2024
medline: 4 3 2024
pubmed: 4 3 2024
entrez: 3 3 2024
Statut: aheadofprint

Résumé

Older Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are often socially isolated and have complex comorbid physical health problems. Aging-related stressors can exacerbate PTSD symptoms. These factors contribute to greater impairment in social functioning and decreased quality of life (QoL). Evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD often address these issues, but not all older Veterans with PTSD seek help for these challenges, some don't want to engage in trauma-focused treatment, some drop out prematurely, and some still have residual symptoms upon completion. Thus, additional interventions that directly target social functioning among older Veterans with PTSD are needed. In this paper we describe the development of and feasibility evaluation plan for, "Enhancing Social Functioning for older Veterans with PTSD (ESVP)," a social functioning group intervention for older (>60 years) Veterans with PTSD. This project involved four phases of work: 1) Intervention development, 2) Review of intervention and potential modifications using focus groups, 3) Intervention pilot testing and modification, and 4) A randomized feasibility trial comparing the intervention with a support group control. Intervention modules address interpersonal relationships, effective communication, anger management, social skills, social support/activities, and behavioral activation. This project details the iterative process used to develop the ESVP intervention designed to enhance social functioning in older Veterans with PTSD, and to evaluate feasibility. Analyses are underway to examine feasibility of conducting ESVP with a sample of older Veterans with PTSD. Findings from the final project phase, the randomized feasibly trial, will inform the design and implementation of a future trial. gov Identifier: NCT02803125.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
Older Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are often socially isolated and have complex comorbid physical health problems. Aging-related stressors can exacerbate PTSD symptoms. These factors contribute to greater impairment in social functioning and decreased quality of life (QoL). Evidence-based psychotherapies for PTSD often address these issues, but not all older Veterans with PTSD seek help for these challenges, some don't want to engage in trauma-focused treatment, some drop out prematurely, and some still have residual symptoms upon completion. Thus, additional interventions that directly target social functioning among older Veterans with PTSD are needed.
METHODS METHODS
In this paper we describe the development of and feasibility evaluation plan for, "Enhancing Social Functioning for older Veterans with PTSD (ESVP)," a social functioning group intervention for older (>60 years) Veterans with PTSD. This project involved four phases of work: 1) Intervention development, 2) Review of intervention and potential modifications using focus groups, 3) Intervention pilot testing and modification, and 4) A randomized feasibility trial comparing the intervention with a support group control. Intervention modules address interpersonal relationships, effective communication, anger management, social skills, social support/activities, and behavioral activation.
CONCLUSION CONCLUSIONS
This project details the iterative process used to develop the ESVP intervention designed to enhance social functioning in older Veterans with PTSD, and to evaluate feasibility. Analyses are underway to examine feasibility of conducting ESVP with a sample of older Veterans with PTSD. Findings from the final project phase, the randomized feasibly trial, will inform the design and implementation of a future trial.
CLINICALTRIALS RESULTS
gov Identifier: NCT02803125.

Identifiants

pubmed: 38432471
pii: S1551-7144(24)00059-4
doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107485
pii:
doi:

Banques de données

ClinicalTrials.gov
['NCT02803125']

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Sous-ensembles de citation

IM

Pagination

107485

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Auteurs

Anica Pless Kaiser (AP)

National Center for PTSD, Boston, MA, United States of America; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America. Electronic address: Anica.PlessKaiser@va.gov.

Jennifer S Daks (JS)

VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Boston, MA, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Lynn Korsun (L)

VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Hannah Heintz (H)

VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Boston, MA, United States of America.

Jennifer Moye (J)

VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; New England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Boston, MA, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Denise M Sloan (DM)

National Center for PTSD, Boston, MA, United States of America; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Joan M Cook (JM)

Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States of America.

Dawne Vogt (D)

National Center for PTSD, Boston, MA, United States of America; VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America.

Avron Spiro (A)

VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States of America; Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States of America; Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States of America; Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center (MAVERIC), United States of America.

Classifications MeSH