ART treatment of Military Veterans with PTSD

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Pilot Study of Delivery of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) by Scottish Registered Nurses in Mental Health (RNMH) for Treatment of Military Psychological Trauma

  • IRAS ID

    139877

  • Contact name

    James Taylor

  • Contact email

    james.taylor@stir.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Stirling

  • Research summary

    This study is an uncontrolled prospective pilot study whereby veterans of the British Armed Forces with symptoms of PTSD will undergo 2-5 sessions of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) delivered by Scottish Mental Health Nurses formally trained in ART. The study rationale is: (i) demonstrate, for the first time, that mental health nurses can effectively deliver ART to veterans for treatment of PTSD; (ii) extend the findings of ART for combat-related PTSD among U.S. veterans to veterans of the British Armed Forces; and (iii) to develop the infrastructure and methodology for establishing a multi-national registry (U.S. and Scotland) of combat-related treatment of PTSD by ART and trained nurse mental health practitioners in both countries. The target population (n=24) will consist of veterans and reservists of the British Armed Forces who have symptoms indicative of a current diagnosis of PTSD, irrespective of previous mental health treatment received. No age limit or duration of symptoms of PTSD will be imposed for study eligibility, and it is anticipated that most eligible and enrolled participants will have had prior deployments to conflicts dating back to the early 1980s, including the Falkands War, Balkans conflicts, Persian Gulf War, Kosovo, and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Demographic and medical history data will be collected along with details of prior military service including service branch, deployment location(s) and type of trauma(s). Participants will complete the 7-item Combat Exposure Scale and 3-item Brief Traumatic Brain Injury Screen. To evaluate treatment response, measures completed at study entry, post-treatment, and 2 months will include: 17-item PCL-M (PTSD Checklist), 125-item Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire, 18-item Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), 34-item Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE-OM) scale, 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), 21-item State-Trait Inventory for Cognitive and Somatic Anxiety (STICSA), 22-item Trauma-Related Guilt Inventory (TRGI), and use of medications.

  • REC name

    East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1

  • REC reference

    14/ES/1002

  • Date of REC Opinion

    2 Jul 2014

  • REC opinion

    Unfavourable Opinion