Extended Group Written Exposure Therapy for Comorbid PTSD and BPD (Traits)
Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-65
SponsorSt. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton
About this trial
The goal of this open label trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual group extended Written Exposure Therapy (GE-WET) in reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in patients with comorbid PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or BPD traits. GE-WET involves attending weekly 2-hour group WET sessions for the duration of 10 weeks, in which they write about their trauma experience using specific instructions.
This study will be conducted at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton's Community Psychiatry Clinic with clients wait listed for PTSD treatment (ages 18- 65, any gender, co-morbid PTSD and BPD/BPD traits).
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Does GE-WET reduce PTSD symptoms (based on PCL-5 measures) in this population (outpatient clients ages 18-65 of any gender, with a diagnosis of PTSD and BPD or BPD traits)?
Does GE-WET result in reduced drop-out rates for this population, compared to that of other evidence-based treatment for PTSD?
What are participants subjective experience of GE-WET?
Eligibility criteria
This trial does not accept healthy volunteersQualifiers
Reading and writing proficiency in English
Access to an electronic device to attend virtual group meetings
Age 18-65
Previous diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)/BPD traits
Disqualifiers
Diagnosis of an active severe substance use disorder or psychotic disorder
Untreated active psychotic symptoms, mania, or hypomania
Has attempted suicide in the 2 months prior to treatment beginning
Has engaged in high-risk self-harm (e.g., cutting, burning, asphyxiation) in the 2 months prior to beginning treatment
Trial design
Design model
Single group
Treatments tested in this trial
Group Written Exposure Therapy
BehavioralGroup Extended Written Exposure Therapy (GE-WET) is a time-limited cognitive behavioural therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) aimed at allowing patients to process their traumatic experiences in a safe environment. GE-WET will consist of 10 weekly group sessions. Participants will be asked to complete weekly in-session written exposures where they will recount their traumatic experience. The written exposure will be followed by a guided discussion about the experience of writing the exposure. There is no homework assigned between sessions. However, group members will be asked to refrain from avoiding thinking about the trauma between sessions.
Treatment groups
63 Participants
are divided into 1 treatment groupGroup A: Group Extended Written Exposure TherapyExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)
Time frame
From pre-treatment (1 week before the start of group) to one-month follow-up at about 4 monthsSecondary outcomes
1
Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory
A 36-item self-report questionnaire that assesses negative thoughts across three subscales: negative cognitions about the self (e.g., "I am a weak person"), negative cognitions about the world (e.g., "I have to be on guard all the time"), and self-blame (e.g., "the event happened because of the way I acted"). The PTCI has demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity with other measures of posttraumatic cognitions.
Time frame
From pre-treatment (1 week before the start of group) to one-month follow-up at about 4 months2
Borderline Symptom List- Short Version (BSL-23)
The BSL-23 is a 23-item self-report measure that assesses for DSM borderline personality disorder symptomatology as well as associated problems such as self-criticism, loneliness, helplessness, and problems with trust. The BSL-23 has demonstrated high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and strong convergent validity with correlations with depression and general psychopathology severity.
Time frame
From pre-treatment (1 week before the start of group) to one-month follow-up at about 4 months3
Borderline Symptom List Behaviour Supplement
The BSL-23 Behaviour Supplement is an 11-item supplemental measure used to assess frequency of problematic behaviours (e.g., non-suicidal self-injury, suicide attempts, suicidal communication, angry outbursts, misuse of substances, etc.) associated with borderline personality disorder.
Time frame
From pre-treatment (1 week before the start of group) to one-month follow-up at about 4 months4
Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20)
The TAS-20 is a 20-item self-report measure assessing for alexithymia (i.e., issues in identifying and processing emotions) across three factors: difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally-oriented thinking. The TAS-20 has demonstrated adequate levels of convergent validity, good internal consistency, and good test-retest reliability.
Time frame
From pre-treatment (1 week before the start of group) to one-month follow-up at about 4 monthsSponsors and contacts
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Source ClinicalTrials.gov
This trial is not recruiting at the moment. You can still explore other options: