Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorVA Office of Research and Development
About this trial
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.
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
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
Disqualifiers
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
Trial design
Design model
Parallel
Treatments tested in this trial
Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans
Behavioral16 weeks of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans, including weekly 60-minute group therapy and biweekly 30-minute individual case management
Supportive Group Psychotherapy for Justice-Involved Veterans
Behavioral16 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.
Treatment groups
200 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsGroup A: Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved VeteransExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Supportive Group PsychotherapyActive comparator 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
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
Time frame
Six times over course of 52 weeks2
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
Time frame
Six times over course of 52 weeksSecondary outcomes
1
Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation
self-report instrument measuring nature, frequency, and intensity of suicidal ideation; score range = 0-38, with higher scores indicating greater severity of suicidal ideation
Time frame
Six times over course of 52 weeks2
The Measure of Criminogenic Thinking Styles
self-report instrument measuring tendency to adopt thinking styles commonly associated with engagement in criminal behavior; score range = 65-325, with higher scores indicating greater tendency to engage in criminogenic thinking styles
Time frame
Three times over course of 52 weeks3
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
self-report instrument measuring psychological distress; score range = 0-27, with higher scores indicating greater psychological distress
Time frame
Six times over course of 52 weeks4
Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test
self-report instrument measuring frequency and volume of alcohol use; score range = 0-40, with higher scores indicating more severe alcohol use
Time frame
Six times over course of 52 weeksSponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov