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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01693497

Comparison of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Dialogical Exposure Therapy (DET) for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

This study aims to compare two active psychological treatments for PTSD. One is an established therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) which operates as a control condition for a newly developed intervention, an integrative Gestalt-based trauma therapy, Dialogical Exposure Therapy (DET). There is no inactive control condition. We expect the two therapies to perform on a similar level, which would constitute evidence for the efficacy of DET.

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Key information

Conditions

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

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

LS für Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie

Munich, 80802, Germany

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • main diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder
  • time since trauma is at least three months

Exclusion criteria

  • acute suicidal ideation
  • severe personality pathology
  • substance dependence
  • early childhood trauma (e.g. child sexual abuse)
  • history of psychosis
  • dissociative identity disorder
  • neurological impairment (e.g. craniocerebral injury with functional impairment)
  • severe pre-traumatic depression
  • ongoing psychotherapy
  • lack of motivation
  • lack of German language skills

Treatment and study plan

Dialogical exposure therapy

Behavioral

This 24-session treatment protocol includes cognitive-behavioral components integrated with a frame based on gestalt principles. There are four phases, safety, stabilization, confrontation and integration.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (German Adaptation)

Behavioral

This is a German adaptation of Cognitive Processing Therapy, developed by Prof. P. A. Resick. This intervention includes cognitive restructuring, a focus on the traumatic memory and a focus on issues that are likely to be problematic in traumatized individuals.

Primary outcomes

  1. PTBS Symptom Severity

    Time frame: change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment)

    Even though participants are assessed by a clinical interview before entering the study, the primary outcome measure is the PDS which is applied before and after treatment as well as at 6-month follow-up.

Secondary outcomes

  1. PTSD Symptom change (IES-R)

    Time frame: change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment). Also measured at each session (up to 24 time points between pre- and posttreatment).

    The IES-R is a short instrument for the measurement of PTSD symptom severity. In this study, the IES-R is applied before every session in order to measure symptom change over the time of the therapy.

Other outcomes

  1. Brief Symptom Inventory

    Time frame: change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment)

    The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) is a measure of general psychological distress.

  2. Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP)

    Time frame: change from pretreatment to posttreatment (planned duration 12 weeks on average) to follow-up (six months after posttreatment)

    The IIP is a widely used instrument to measure interpersonal distress.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ludwig-Maximilians - University of Munich

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Comparison of a Gestalt-based Approach to PTSD Therapy With Cognitive Processing Therapy

Important dates

Study start
2002
Primary completion
2011
Study completion
2012
First posted
Sep 26, 2012
Registry last updated
Sep 26, 2012

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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