The Effect of Using the Combat Attention App on the Risk of Post-traumatic Symptoms

NCT06710145 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: TAU-Combat-Attention
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Military service and reserve duty in combat units entails exposure to traumatic events that require mental adjustment. In light of the results of controlled studies that proved the effectiveness an response-time based mechanized training protocol in reducing risk for post-trauma symptoms in deployed combat soldiers, the Israeli Defense Forces decided at the beginning of the Iron Swords War to implement an internet-based App of the intervention. Soldiers and combat reservists were invited to use the Combat Attention App. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the Combat Attention App in relation to a control group of soldiers who did not use the App in reducing risk for post-traumatic stress symptoms of deployed soldiers.

Conditions

PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

  Measures PTSD symptoms according to DSM-5

  January-June 2025

• IDF Medical Records

  Holds all the medical information and contact with health/mental health professionals during one's service

  January-June 2025

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Combat Experiences Scale

  January-June 2025

• Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9)

  January-June 2025

• Attention Bias Questionnaire (ABQ)

  January-June 2025

• GAD-7

  January-June 2025

• Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES)

  January-June 2025

Study Arms (2)

Attention App Users

Soldiers who used the App and completed at least one training session

Behavioral: Combat Attention Training

Non Users

Soldiers matched on age, sex, and specialty to the Attention App Users group who never used the App

Interventions

Combat Attention Training BEHAVIORAL

The Combat Attention App is a response-time based mechanized preventive intervention designed to train combat soldiers' attention toward threats before combat exposure in order to reduce the risk for combat-related post-trauma symptoms. In light of the results of controlled studies that proved the efficacy of this preventive intervention, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) decided at the beginning of the Iron Swords War (October 7th, 2023) to implement an internet-based App of the intervention, and soldiers and combat reservists were invited to train on the Combat Attention App.

Attention App Users

Eligibility Criteria

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

Study Population

The study population consists of enlisted and reservist soldiers who participated in the Iron Swards war and either used or did not use the attention App.

You may qualify if:

• Age over 18 years.
• Served as an enlisted soldier or reservist during the Iron Swards War.
• Used the Combat Attention App or can serve as a matched control who did not use the App.
• Colloquial Hebrew sufficient to fill out the research questionnaires.

You may not qualify if:

• Below 18 years of age.
• Colloquial Hebrew that is insufficient to fill out the research questionnaires.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Tel Aviv University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv, Israel

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Wald I, Fruchter E, Ginat K, Stolin E, Dagan D, Bliese PD, Quartana PJ, Sipos ML, Pine DS, Bar-Haim Y. Selective prevention of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder using attention bias modification training: a randomized controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2016 Sep;46(12):2627-36. doi: 10.1017/S0033291716000945. Epub 2016 Jul 5.

  PMID: 27377418 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Combat Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Yair bAR-hAIM, PhD

  Tel Aviv University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Yair Bar-Haim, PhD

CONTACT

+972-3-6405465; yair1@tauex.tau.ac.il

Chelsea Gober Dykan, MA

CONTACT

+972-3-6405465; chelseagober@mail.tau.ac.il

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE CONTROL
• Time Perspective: OTHER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 31, 2024
• First Posted: November 29, 2024
• Study Start: January 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: April 11, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

IL (1)