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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05196464

ACT Workshops: A Novel Delivery Modality to Increase Access to Care for Rural Veterans

This study investigates access, effectiveness, and acceptability of 1-day ACT workshops on problematic mental health symptoms.

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Key information

Conditions

Access to Care Psychological Distress

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Syracuse, New York, 13210, United States

About this study

This study proposes to investigate access, effectiveness, and acceptability of 1-day ACT workshops delivered in 2 rural VA primary clinics with 32 Veterans with problematic mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, PTSD, or anxiety) that are risk factors for suicide.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 1) current mental health symptoms as measured by one of the following indicators: PHQ-9 ≥ 10, PCL-5 ≥ 30, or GAD-7 ≥ 10.

Exclusion criteria

  • cognitive impairment measured by BOMC,
  • current psychosis or mania as evidenced in the medical record,
  • current suicidal intent as measured by the P4,
  • use of mental health services within or outside of VA in the last 6 months as measured by CPRS and the non-VA services questionnaire.

Treatment and study plan

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Workshop

Behavioral

ACT workshops are single-day workshops that last 5-6 hours. The workshops will 1) Acceptance and Mindfulness Training emphasizing new ways of managing troubling thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations (e.g., learning how to recognize, and develop cognitive distance from unhelpful thoughts) and strategies to willingly face experiences that cannot be changed; and 2) Committed Action Training to help Veterans clarify what matters most to them (e.g., valued domains including family, friends, spirituality, career) and what they want to stand for in life, how they want to behave, and what strengths and qualities they want to develop. Within this context, the workshop will encourage engagement in, rather than avoidance of, actions consistent with valued directions, including engagement in healthcare. Workshop participants will be given homework related to implementing a key coping skill.

Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Behavioral

TAU will consist of a consult to a mental health provider at their rural clinic. The patient will then be scheduled for an intake and offered traditional mental health treatment options. Treatment options are likely to include outpatient individual psychotherapy, psychotherapy groups, or medication management.

Primary outcomes

  1. Access to mental health care

    Time frame: 1 month

    Access to care is measured by hours of active treatment Veterans receive within and outside of VA.

  2. Psychological Distress

    Time frame: 1 month

    Psychological distress as measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Score range on 0-42. Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Syracuse VA Medical Center

Fed

Collaborators

  • Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
  • VA Office of Research and Development

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2023
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jan 19, 2022
Registry last updated
Apr 22, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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