Efficacy of 60-minute Versus 90-minute Sessions in Treating PTSD Using Prolonged Exposure

NCT01911585 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 817717
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 160
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether 60-minute sessions of prolonged exposure (PE) are as effective as the standard 90-minute session for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants will include patients ages 18 or older with a current diagnosis of PTSD who are seeking treatment in our clinic. Patients who have current substance dependence, psychosis, and suicidal ideation with intent and plan may not be suitable for receiving PE and may be offered another treatment or referred to a different treatment center. Participants will be randomized to receive either the 90- minute or 60-minute PE session. A blind evaluator will assess for pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up levels of symptom severity using the PTSD Symptoms Scale Interview (PSS-I). Participants will attend weekly treatment sessions with any of our faculty members and will complete self-report measures at every session (see below).

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; PTSD

Keywords

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; PTSD; Prolonged Exposure Therapy; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in PTSD Symptom Scale, Interview Version (PSS-I; Foa, Riggs, Dancu, & Rothbaum, 1993; Powers, Gillihan, Rosenfield, Jerud & Foa, 2012)

  The PSS-I will be administered on 4 separate occasions We will measure the change in PSS-I scores from pre-treatment to post-treatment, 3 month follow-up, and 6 month follow-up. The PSS-I is a 20-minute, 17-item clinical interview that evaluates DSM-IV PTSD symptoms on a frequency/severity scale. The interview yields a full-scale score and subscales for each of the three PTSD symptom clusters. Psychometric studies revealed internal reliability of .91 for the full scale, and .78, .80, and .82 for the reexperiencing, avoidance and arousal clusters (Foa \& Tolin, 2000).

  Pre-treatment through 6 month follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS; Foa et al., 1997)

  Pre-treatment through 6 months post-treatment

• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck et al., 1961)

  Pre-treatment through 6 month follow-up

• Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI; Foa et al., 1999)

  Pre-treatment through 6 month follow-up

Study Arms (2)

90 minute Prolonged Exposure Sessions

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD consists of 10 to 15 weekly or twice-weekly sessions, each lasting about 90 minutes, with 40 to 60 minutes imaginal exposure.

Behavioral: Prolonged Exposure Therapy

60 minute Prolonged Exposure Sessions

EXPERIMENTAL

This treatment condition is a modified version of Prolonged Exposure therapy for PTSD. It consists of 10 to 15 weekly or twice-weekly sessions, each lasting about 60 minutes, with 20 minutes imaginal exposure.

Behavioral: Prolonged Exposure Therapy

Interventions

Prolonged Exposure Therapy BEHAVIORAL

Prolonged exposure therapy (PE), a specific exposure therapy program for PTSD is a highly effective treatment for PTSD. The key components of PE are imaginal exposure to the traumatic event and processing it (revisiting of the traumatic memory in imagination) followed by processing of the revisiting experience, and in vivo exposure to avoided trauma-related situations and objects.

60 minute Prolonged Exposure Sessions; 90 minute Prolonged Exposure Sessions

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Primary diagnosis of PTSD
• Recommended by therapist to receive Prolonged Exposure therapy

You may not qualify if:

• Current substance dependence, psychosis, suicidal ideation with intent and plan, or other psychiatric problems warranting immediate clinical attention or would interfere with Prolonged Exposure therapy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Pennsylvania: lead

Study Sites (1)

Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19106, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Foa EB, Bredemeier K, Acierno R, Rosenfield D, Muzzy W, Tuerk PW, Zandberg LJ, Hart S, Young-McCaughan S, Peterson AL, McLean CP. The efficacy of 90-min versus 60-min sessions of prolonged exposure for PTSD: A randomized controlled trial in active-duty military personnel. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2022 Jun;90(6):503-512. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000739.

  PMID: 35771512 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Edna B. Foa, Ph.D.

  University of Pennsylvania

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 22, 2013
• First Posted: July 30, 2013
• Study Start: September 1, 2013
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2021
• Study Completion: June 30, 2021
• Last Updated: September 17, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-09

Locations

US (1)