Written Exposure Therapy for Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome

NCT04328935 | Unknown

• 1 other identifier: 2019-04414
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 12
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

To investigate if written exposure therapy is feasible for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

PTSD; written exposure therapy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

  Change in symptoms of post traumatic stress from baseline to post treatment and follow up (6 months). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the presence and severity of PTSD symptoms. All items are scored on a 0-4 scale. Higher score indicate worse severity

  Time Frame: Baseline, week 5 and follow-up at 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Montgomery Åsberg Depression Rating Scale - Self-report (MADRS-S)

  Time Frame: Baseline, week 5 and follow-up at 6 months

• Euroqol, EQ-5D

  Time Frame: Baseline, week 5 and follow-up at 6 months

Study Arms (1)

written exposure therapy

EXPERIMENTAL

The treatment consists of written exposure therapy (WET), which is manualized trauma-focused CBT in five sessions over 5 weeks.

Behavioral: WET

Interventions

WET BEHAVIORAL

The manual is based on established CBT interventions in trauma such as exposure. In short, the treatment is that the participant should be able to approach their intrusive memories and by doing this repeatedly, the memory will give rise to less discomfort.

written exposure therapy

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Meet criteria for PTSD.
• If taking psychotropic medication, then the dose must be stable for at least 4 weeks prior to study entry.
• ≥ 18 years
• Situated in Sweden
• Be able to express themselves in Swedish, both in verbally and written form.
• Informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Other serious comorbidity as primary concern (ongoing substance dependence, untreated bipolar disorder, psychotic symptoms, severe depression, borderline personality disorder, high suicidal risk according to the MINI)
• Ongoing CBT for trauma
• Ongoing trauma-related threat (e.g. living with a violent spouse)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Karolinska Institutet: lead

Study Sites (1)

Karolinska Institutet

Stockholm, Sweden

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Hedvall H, Andersson E, Ivanov VZ, Bragesjo M. Feasibility of written exposure therapy for PTSD in a psychiatric outpatient clinic: in-person and remote delivery. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025 Dec;16(1):2545048. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2545048. Epub 2025 Sep 2.

  PMID: 40891431 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal investigator

Model Details: Within-group design. Repeated measurements

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 15, 2020
• First Posted: April 1, 2020
• Study Start: October 27, 2020
• Primary Completion: April 27, 2021
• Study Completion: April 27, 2022
• Last Updated: June 1, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

SE (1)