Trauma-focused therapy for older people: A clinical case series
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Trauma-focused therapy for older people: A clinical case series
IRAS ID
336560
Contact name
Elizabeth Tyler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Manchester
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Trauma and psychological difficulties linked to trauma (e.g., Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) are common but often overlooked in older adults that access NHS mental health services, and there is very limited research on interventions that could improve the mental health and well-being needs of elderly trauma survivors. This means that many older adults with lived experience of trauma, and especially those with more complex needs, do not receive sufficient support and continue to suffer as a result of the impacts that trauma had on their lives.
There is a growing evidence base for the success of various trauma-focused interventions for helping relieve some of the difficulties associated with exposure to trauma. However, most research has focused on children and working aged adults and older adults appear to be excluded from the majority of these randomised controlled trials, thus generalisability of findings to this population is questionable.
There is an urgent need to develop evidence-based treatments for trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to meet the needs of an older adult population. Therefore, the aim of this study is to test out adapted versions of two evidence-based and well-established trauma-focused therapy manuals using a case series design. An Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing manual (Shapiro et al., 2018) and cognitive therapy for PTSD, based on Ehlers and Clark’s (2000) model. Case series are particularly important to provide detailed, descriptive information on new treatments and contribute to building knowledge and generating hypotheses about potential clinical benefits.
The specific objectives for the project are to:
• Evaluate the feasibility of delivering a 24-session, adapted trauma-focused therapy for older people with PTSD experiences.
• Determine any potential preliminary clinical benefits associated with receiving an adapted trauma-focused therapy.
• Assess the acceptability of the intervention by providing an optional semi-structured interview to participants who have taken part in the study.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0125
Date of REC Opinion
10 Jun 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion