Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans
2 other identifiers
interventional
200
1 country
2
Brief Summary
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans (DBT-J) is a comprehensive, integrative program distinctively designed to address the range of mental health, substance use, case management, and legal needs of Veterans with current or ongoing criminal justice involvement. Data from two prior clinical trials attest to the program's feasibility and acceptability and preliminarily suggest participation in the program may yield meaningful improvements in risk for criminal behavior and resolution of high-priority case management needs. However, continued research is needed to further investigate the program's efficacy. This Phase III clinical trial aims to investigate the superiority of DBT-J over a supportive group therapy treatment in decreasing risk of future criminal behavior and increasing psychosocial functioning. Secondary and exploratory aims will also investigate superiority of DBT-J in improving secondary treatment targets, potential differential efficacy across special-interest Veteran subgroups, and long-term consequences of program participation.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Jan 2024
Longer than P75 for not_applicable
2 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
July 26, 2023
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
August 3, 2023
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
January 1, 2024
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 30, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 31, 2027
November 19, 2025
November 1, 2025
3.5 years
July 26, 2023
November 18, 2025
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (2)
Level of Service / Case Management Inventory
semi-structured interview assessment of risk for future criminal justice involvement; score range = 0-43, with higher scores indicating greater risk for future criminal justice involvement
Six times over course of 52 weeks
Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning
self-report instrument measuring functional impairments in romantic relationships, family relationships, work, friendships and socializing, parenting, education, and self-care; score range = 0-100, with higher scores indicating greater impairment in psychosocial functioning
Six times over course of 52 weeks
Secondary Outcomes (13)
Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation
Six times over course of 52 weeks
The Measure of Criminogenic Thinking Styles
Three times over course of 52 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
Six times over course of 52 weeks
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
Six times over course of 52 weeks
Drug Abuse Screening Test
Six times over course of 52 weeks
- +8 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans
EXPERIMENTAL16 weeks of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans
Supportive Group Psychotherapy
ACTIVE COMPARATOR16 weeks of supportive group psychotherapy for justice-involved Veterans
Interventions
16 weeks of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans, including weekly 60-minute group therapy and biweekly 30-minute individual case management
16 weeks of clinician-facilitated supportive group psychotherapy for justice-involved Veterans, including weekly 75-minute group psychotherapy (20 hours total intervention). All interventions delivered via telehealth.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Veteran aged 18+
- Able to provide consent
- Current or recent history of criminal justice involvement, defined as
- (a) criminal arrest, order of protection, or incarceration within two years prior to participation and/or
- (b) supervision by probation or parole at the time of participation
You may not qualify if:
- Limited English proficiency
- Inability to tolerate group therapy format
- Enrollment in a concurrent clinical trial
- Current or scheduled enrollment in a DBT- or RNR-based program
- Prior participation in DBT-J program
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
Study Sites (2)
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO
Aurora, Colorado, 80045-7211, United States
James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY
The Bronx, New York, 10468-3904, United States
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Emily R Edwards, PhD
James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Masking Details
- All outcomes assessors are blind to participant study condition. Participants, study providers, and investigators will not be blind to study condition.
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- FED
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
July 26, 2023
First Posted
August 3, 2023
Study Start
January 1, 2024
Primary Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
December 31, 2027
Last Updated
November 19, 2025
Record last verified: 2025-11
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share
To preserve participant confidentiality, individual participant data will not be shared with anyone outside of the immediate research team.