Sleep, affect and memory in PTSD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Sleep, affect and memory disturbances in posttraumatic stress disorder.
IRAS ID
134263
Contact name
Anke Ehlers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Research summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common condition, and sleep and memory problems are well evidenced in PTSD. Symptoms of PTSD include involuntary trauma memories (intrusions) which may also involve experiences of affect (emotion) from the trauma without recollection of the event (affect without recollection), and sleep disturbances such as nightmares of the traumatic event and insomnia.
This study aims to examine affect, memory and sleep disturbances in PTSD, and the effect of cognitive therapy (CT) for PTSD on these disturbances.
45 patients with PTSD starting a course of cognitive therapy, 30 patients with PTSD on the wait list for CT for PTSD will be recruited from the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma (CADAT) Oxford and London. Thirty traumatised controls without PTSD will also be recruited at the University of Oxford, Kings College London, and via adverts. These groups will be assessed and compared for sleep and memory difficulties at baseline and 6 weeks later, to examine the impact of CT for PTSD on these difficulties.
Sleep and memory problems, and experiences of affect without recollection will be assessed using self-report questionnaires, actigraphy (an objective measure of sleep) and memory tasks at both time points.
REC name
South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SC/0198
Date of REC Opinion
12 May 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion