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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03634709

Autobiographical Memory Flexibility Training (MemFlex) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The experience of trauma not only impacts the way an individual thinks and feels, but can also produce changes in the way someone remembers their personal past. It is not only memories of the trauma that are affected- avoidance of trauma memories can also lead to memories of other events becoming vague, and in particular, memories of positive experiences can seem out of reach. This memory difficulty promotes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study will explore an intervention that aims to improve memory difficulties, which should then flow on to improve PTSD. The study will be completed with individuals who have experienced a single incident trauma. Twenty five participants will complete MemFlex straight away, and 25 will go on a waiting list. Once this first group has finished MemFlex, the researchers will compare the two groups to see if the programme produced a larger reduction in PTSD symptoms. MemFlex is workbook-based, and as such, if it is successful it may offer an easy, cheap, and accessible way to offer psychological treatment to PTSD sufferers around the world.

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Key information

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Mental Disorders Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Institute for Cognitive Science Studies

Tehran, Iran

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (as indexed by the Farsi version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM disorders [SCID])
  • Aged over 18 years

Exclusion criteria

  • Lack of oral and/or written fluency in Farsi
  • Traumatic brain injury or cognitive impairment, indexed via self-report
  • Current experience of psychosis, indexed by SCID

Treatment and study plan

Memory Flexibility training (MemFlex)

Behavioral

MemFlex is a primarily self-guided, paper workbook-based program which aims to reduce overgeneral memory bias and improve recall of positive, specific event memories. Prior to completing one month of self-guided, workbook-based intervention, the participant will attend one 45 minute face-to-face session in which the facilitator outlines the importance of autobiographical memory in everyday life, discusses the impact of trauma on autobiographical memory, and provides information on the different types of autobiographical memories (e.g., specific, general) and their potential everyday functions. The session also introduces the cued-recall tasks which were used to train the memory skills throughout the workbook, and provides facilitator-assisted practice with the tasks. Once participants are comfortable with the training exercises, they set a schedule for completion of the eight-session workbook over the following four weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. Autobiographical memory

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Number of correct responses on the Alternating Instructions Autobiographical Memory Test- Farsi version

Secondary outcomes

  1. PTSD symptoms at post-intervention

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Total score (range - 0-80) on the Farsi version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fifth Edition

  2. PTSD symptoms at follow-up

    Time frame: Three months following the completion of the intervention

    Total score (range - 0-80) on the Farsi version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fifth Edition

Other outcomes

  1. Posttraumatic Cognitions

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Total score (range = 33-231) on the Farsi version of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory

  2. Trauma memory quality

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Total score (range = 14-56) on the Farsi version of the Trauma Memory Quality Questionnaire

  3. Rumination

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Total score (range = 22-88) on the Farsi version of the Ruminative Response Scale

  4. Depression

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Total score (range = 0-63) on the Farsi version of the Beck Depression Inventory II

  5. Future Thinking

    Time frame: At post-intervention assessment (approximately 4-5 weeks after pre-intervention assessment)

    Number of generated positive items on the Farsi version of the Future Thinking Task

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Other Gov

Collaborators

  • Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, Iran
  • Kharazmi University

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomised Controlled Trial of Autobiographical Memory Flexibility Training (MemFlex) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Aug 16, 2018
Registry last updated
Jun 17, 2020

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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