Community Self-help Using Thought Field Therapy in a Traumatised Population in Uganda: a Randomised Trial

NCT01681628 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: Uganda2012
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 256
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a simple technique that involves tapping on points of the body corresponding to the meridians used in acupuncture. By using specific sequences, TFT can be used to treat a variety of psychological problems. Patients can be taught to treat themselves, and lay people can be trained to treat others in their community, as has been shown for narrative exposure therapy. Thought Field Therapy has been used to treat whole communities who have suffered psychological trauma following natural disasters and violent conflicts. In these circumstances, TFT can be used as a stand-alone therapy, or as an adjunct to other psychological therapies, by removing the pain of re-living the traumatic events. Studies in Rwanda have shown that individuals within a community can be treated with brief TFT sessions. Both short-term and longer-term improvements in scores of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) measurement scales have been demonstrated. The Kasese District in Uganda has suffered from factional conflicts and the consequences of the ongoing struggles in neighbouring countries for many years. Although the government has controlled the situation and secured the borders, many are still haunted by the psychological consequences. The purpose of the study is to validate the model of addressing widespread psychological trauma following conflict by training community leaders to help others in their community using TFT. Thirty-six community leaders will be given a two-day training in algorithm level trauma-relief TFT. They will then treat 128 volunteers for their traumas, using TFT, who will be assessed before and one week after treatment by the post-traumatic stress disorder check-list questionnaire for civilians (PCL-C). As a control, a further 128 volunteers will join a wait-list group, who will be assessed at the same time, but treated later. PCL-C scores before and after treatment will be compared with the wait-list group scores before and after waiting, but before their treatment. A follow-up assessment of the participants will be undertaken 1 to 2 years later.

Conditions

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

Thought Field Therapy.; Post-traumatic stress disorder.; Post-traumatic stress disorder check list for Civilians.; Uganda; Ugandan therapists.; Community treatment.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Check List for Civilians (PLC-C) Score.

  PCL-C (post traumatic check list for civilians) is a measure of the severity of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and can also be used for screening populations, It is a self-completed questionnaire with 17 questions scoring from 1 - 5. The scores of each question are added to create the total score for each participant. The highest possible score for any individual is 85, the lowest score being 17. A diagnostic score for PTSD is accepted as being more than 50. Participants completed the PCL-C just before treatment and one week later. The wait list group received no treatment at Time 1. In the treatment arm, measure immediately pre-treatment (baseline) (time 1) and one week later (time 2). In the wait-list no therapy arm, measure at baseline (time 1), and after one week (no treatment) (time 2). The wait-list group (Thought Field Therapy group) were then treated and reassessed after a further week (time 3).

  Baseline (Time 1), One week later (Time 2) and Two weeks later (Time 3 for Wait-list: Thought field Therapy Arm)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Percentage With Scores Diagnostic for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PCL-C > 50) Before and After Treatment in Treatment and Control Groups.

  Baseline (Time 1), One week later (Time 2) and Two weeks later (Time 3 for Wait-list: Thought field Therapy Arm)

Study Arms (2)

Thought Field Therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

Thought Field Therapy delivered by trained community leaders.

Behavioral: Thought Field Therapy.

Wait list

OTHER

Delayed intervention. No intervention prior to assessment after one week (pre-test 2). Then treated with Thought Field Therapy, and re-assessed after a further week (post-test).

Behavioral: Thought Field Therapy.

Interventions

Thought Field Therapy. BEHAVIORAL

Thought Field Therapy is a meridian based therapy, where clients tap on specific parts of their body, according to a particular protocol. This does not obliterate the memory of the trauma, but relieves the associated distress.

Thought Field Therapy; Wait list

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Volunteers recruited from local communities, who feel that they are suffering from psychological trauma.

You may not qualify if:

• Minimum age

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Thought Field Therapy Foundation (UK) Ltd: lead
• Thought Field Therapy Foundation.: collaborator
• Mats Uldal Humanitarian Foundation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

St Augustine's Catechist Training Centre, PO Box 155

Kasese, Kasese, Uganda

Location

Related Publications (24)

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  BACKGROUND

• Connolly S, Sakai C. Brief trauma intervention with Rwandan genocide-survivors using thought field therapy. Int J Emerg Ment Health. 2011;13(3):161-72.

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  PMID: 21813428 BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 20828089 BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 10643726 BACKGROUND

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  PMID: 23658937 BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

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  BACKGROUND

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  RESULT

• Robson RH, Robson PM, Ludwig R, Mitabu C, Phillips C. Effectiveness of Thought Field Therapy Provided by Newly Instructed Community Workers to a Traumatized Population in Uganda: A Randomized Trial. Current Research in Psychology http://thescipub.com/PDF/ofsp.10454.pdf, 2016.

  RESULT

Related Links

• Background to local conflicts potentially causing post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Co-sponsor
• Co-sponsor

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders

Limitations and Caveats

Only one assessment tool for PTSD was used. The 19 month data interpretation was limited by the high drop-out rate.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr R H Robson
• Organization: Thought field Therapy Foundation UK Ltd.

r.robson2@btinternet.com

+44 (0)1952550688

Study Officials

• Robert H Robson, MA MB BChir

  Thought Field Therapy Foundation (UK) Ltd

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Dr Robert Howard Robson

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 2, 2012
• First Posted: September 10, 2012
• Study Start: June 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2012
• Study Completion: January 1, 2014
• Last Updated: May 1, 2017
• Results First Posted: May 1, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

UG (1)