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Art Therapy and Emotional Well Being in Military Populations With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

ConditionsPTSDMilitary ActivityPost-Traumatic HeadachePosttraumatic Stress DisorderPosttraumatic Stress Disorder, Delayed OnsetSleep DisturbanceNightmareIrritable MoodAngerCombat and Operational Stress ReactionCombat Stress DisordersMilitary FamilyMilitary OperationsEmotional RegulationEmotion Processing
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-64
SponsorWalter Reed National Military Medical Center

About this trial

Art therapy is used across the Military Health System for treatment of posttraumatic symptoms, but there is limited research on how art therapy is able to restore emotional expression and regulation in service members. This research hopes to learn about the effects of art therapy on emotional expression and regulation in service members as well as the neurological systems at work. If a participant chooses to be in this study, he or she will attend eleven sessions over a period of six to eight months. The first session will be an interview and self-assessment questionnaires to collect information on a variety of symptoms, experiences, and personality traits, and an MRI scan. During the MRI scan, participants will be asked to perform a task where they will be shown a series of neutral and negative images. The following eight sessions will be one-hour art therapy sessions with a certified art therapist. The tenth session will consist of the same self-assessment questionnaires and another MRI scan. The final session will consist of some of the same questionnaires from the tenth visit, as well as a qualitative interview done virtually three months after the tenth visit.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

DEERS Eligible

Active Duty or Veteran separated within the past 10 years

Significant posttraumatic stress symptoms (score of >/=31 on the PCL-5)

Disqualifiers

History of moderate, severe, or penetrating brain injury

History of psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or active suicidal or homicidal ideation

History of multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, or Alzheimer's disease

History of stroke or myocardial infarction

Trial design

Design model

Single group

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Art Therapy

    Behavioral

    During the art research intervention session, the art therapist will walk you through the creation of various types of art and may spend time asking you about the artwork, how you are felling, as well as your past experiences.

Treatment groups

40 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment group
Group A: Art Therapy ArmExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

The Primary Outcome Measure is analysis of functional neuroimaging metrics

The primary outcome measure is the analysis of resting state and task based functional MRI data which include but functional connectivity measures between brain regions at rest and during the task as well as functional activation patterns during the task. MRI and a series of task based fMRI sequences.

Time frame
Baseline
2

The Primary Outcome Measure is analysis of functional neuroimaging metrics

The primary outcome measure is the analysis of resting state and task based functional MRI data which include but functional connectivity measures between brain regions at rest and during the task as well as functional activation patterns during the task. MRI and a series of task based fMRI sequences.

Time frame
Through study completion, an average of 14 weeks

Secondary outcomes

1

Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

A 20-item instrument that measures alexithymia defined as trouble identifying and describing emotions. A 20-item instrument that measures alexithymia defined as trouble identifying and describing emotions. Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale whereby 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.

Time frame
Baseline
2

Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20)

A 20-item instrument that measures alexithymia defined as trouble identifying and describing emotions. Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale whereby 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.

Time frame
Through study completion, an average of 14 weeks
3

PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual Five (DSM-V) (PCL-5)

A 20-item self-report measure of the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. Respondents rate how much they were "bothered by that problem in the past month". Items are rated on a scale ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 4 ("extremely")

Time frame
Baseline
4

PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual Five (DSM-V) (PCL-5)

A 20-item self-report measure of the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. Respondents rate how much they were "bothered by that problem in the past month". Items are rated on a scale ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 4 ("extremely")

Time frame
Through study completion, an average of 14 weeks

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Lead sponsor

University of Pennsylvania

Collaborator

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Collaborator

Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine

Collaborator

Source ClinicalTrials.gov
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