The Development and Evaluation of a Brief CFT Intervention for Trauma

NCT02413307 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 160094
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 10
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

\*\*PLEASE NOTE\*\* this study is currently open only to clients on the waiting list at the Centre for Trauma Resilience and Growth, UK. The project will involve adapting and implementing a five minute daily self-practice compassion-focused intervention and evaluate its impact on psychological and physiological factors associated with trauma. It aims to offer a novel intervention which may facilitate further benefits from trauma specific therapy. This would be a unique use of self-practice Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) specifically for trauma clients. Previous research has found that many factors can impact on client's benefitting from therapy, including depression, anxiety and self-criticism. These things also get in the way of being compassionate towards oneself, and this can be a difficulty for people who have experienced traumatic events. Service users have identified that additional support before trauma specific therapy can be useful and this may offer a positive use of time whilst on therapy waiting lists. Hypotheses: i. A brief CFT intervention will decrease levels of depression, anxiety, stress and increase baseline Heart Rate Variability. ii. The compassion focused intervention will increase experiences of self-compassion, social safeness, and reduce levels of self-criticism. iii. High 'fear of compassion' will moderate the impact of the intervention and result in smaller changes in depression, anxiety, stress and post traumatic change. Clients of the Centre for trauma, resilience and growth will be approached to participate in the study. All participants will have experienced trauma for which they are seeking psychological support. The current compassion focused intervention will be offered to participants on the waiting list for trauma specific therapy at the trauma centre. Each participant will be asked to practice the intervention in their own time over a period of three weeks. There will be initial assessments, repeated assessments following the intervention, and repeated assessments pre and post trauma specific therapies engaged in.

Conditions

Trauma; PTSD

Keywords

Compassion Focused Therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21)

  21-item version. Self-report measuring negative emotional states of depression, anxiety and stress

  up to six weeks

Secondary Outcomes (7)

• Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

  three weeks, six weeks

• Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)

  three weeks, six weeks

• Fears of Compassion Scale (FOC) Scale 3: Expressing kindness and compassion towards yourself.

  three weeks, six weeks

• The Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking & Self-Reassuring Scale (FSCRS)

  three weeks, six weeks

• Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale (SSPS)

  three weeks, six weeks

Study Arms (2)

Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Self-practice compassion focused therapy intervention following written or audio scripts. This includes instructions, an explanation of compassion and aims of the intervention. It includes several exercises designed to increase self-compassion including breathing exercises and compassionate imagery exercises focused on self and others

Other: Compassion Focused Therapy (self-practice)

Waiting List Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants on the waiting list for trauma specific therapy. These will be participants who have consented to engaging in the research project but their intervention phase has a delayed start.

Interventions

Compassion Focused Therapy (self-practice) OTHER

Daily practice of the CFT exercises for a minimum of five minutes per day. This is completed for a period of three weeks.

Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Able to understand verbal and written English language (due to resources, the adapted intervention will not be translated);
• \*\*\*To be on the waiting list for therapy at the Centre for Trauma Resilience and Growth, Nottingham UK\*\*\*;
• Able to access a computer, CD player or mp3 file;
• Had experience of a traumatic event

You may not qualify if:

• participants involved in the pilot phase of the project
• unable to understand verbal and written English language

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Lincoln: lead
• University of Nottingham: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Lincoln

Lincoln, LN6 7TS, United Kingdom

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Claire Rycroft

  University of Lincoln

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Clinical Psychologist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 6, 2015
• First Posted: April 9, 2015
• Study Start: February 1, 2014
• Primary Completion: October 1, 2017
• Study Completion: October 1, 2017
• Last Updated: October 19, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-10

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)