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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03364192

Peer-Delivered Whole Health Coaching for Veterans With PTSD

The investigators are evaluating a service called peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching to understand how it can help Veterans with PTSD. This project has two main goals: (1) determine how peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching can help Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and (2) learning about feasibility of implementing this service in Veterans Health Administration primary care settings. The investigators are also evaluating feasibility of the research methods in this trial to learn how to improve future studies on this topic.

Whole Health Coaching is a service designed to improve health and wellness. It is a variation of integrative health coaching and is being used in Veterans Health Administration medical centers. In Whole Health Coaching, Veterans will work with coaches to develop a personal health mission, develop specific goals and action steps, and then adjust their plan as needed. Coaches provide guidance and support throughout the process. In this project, a peer support specialist working in primary care will be the coach. VA Peer Support Specialists, "peers", are Veterans recovering from a mental health condition trained to help other Veterans improve their health.

All participants will receive peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching. Participants will be randomly assigned a start date for their first session with the Peer Whole Health Coach between 4 and 13 weeks after they start the study. The information provided during this time prior to the first session helps us understand how participants do on their own without the service. The research components include interviews and questionnaires about health and wellness, goals, and experiences with the service. Veterans who participate in the study will complete short questionnaires twice a week for 6 months and have four longer appointments where more questions will be asked. Participants will also be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the service.

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Key information

Conditions

PTSD 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

Syracuse VA Medical Center, Syracuse, NY

Syracuse, New York, 13210, United States

About this study

The investigators are evaluating a service called peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching to understand how it can help Veterans with PTSD. This project has two main goals: (1) determine how peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching can help Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and (2) learning about feasibility of implementing this service in Veterans Health Administration primary care settings. The investigators are also evaluating feasibility of the research methods in this trial to learn how to improve future studies on this topic.

Whole Health Coaching is a service designed to improve health and wellness. It is a variation of integrative health coaching and is being used in Veterans Health Administration medical centers. In Whole Health Coaching, Veterans will work with coaches to develop a personal health mission, develop specific goals and action steps, and then adjust their plan as needed. Coaches provide guidance and support throughout the process. In this project, a peer support specialist working in primary care will be the coach. VA Peer Support Specialists, "peers", are Veterans recovering from a mental health condition trained to help other Veterans improve their health.

All participants will receive peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching. Participants will be randomly assigned a start date for their first session with the Peer Whole Health Coach between 4 and 13 weeks after they start the study. The information provided during this time prior to the first session helps us understand how participants do on their own without the service. The research components include interviews and questionnaires about health and wellness, goals, and experiences with the service. Veterans who participate in the study will complete short questionnaires twice a week for 6 months and have four longer appointments where more questions will be asked. Participants will also be given the opportunity to provide feedback on the service.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Veteran status
  • Enrolled in primary care at the Syracuse VA (and affiliated CBOCs) and seen in primary care within the past year
  • Probable PTSD defined as screening positive for a Criterion A event and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) score 33

Exclusion criteria

  • Unable to communicate in spoken and written English
  • Gross cognitive impairment
  • Current symptoms of mania/psychosis
  • At risk for suicide
  • Engaged in psychotherapy in a non-primary care setting
  • Changes to psychotropic medications for PTSD within the last 2 months
  • Preference for direct referral to specialty mental healthcare

Treatment and study plan

Whole Health Coaching

Behavioral

Veterans Health Administration variation of integrative health coaching.

Primary outcomes

  1. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)

    Time frame: Participants completed GAS twice weekly throughout the entire 24 week study period and scores were compared over time.

    Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) is a systematic method used to evaluate participants' individualized goals and progress towards Whole Health goals. Scores range from 0-10 for each domain of whole health measured with higher scores indicating more positive outcomes. Each participant's GAS score reflects the GAS score from the goal domain(s) that the participant identified as primary during the course of the intervention. For participants with multiple goals, GAS scores were average across domains.

Secondary outcomes

  1. PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

    Time frame: Participants completed the PCL-5 at baseline, pre-treatment, post-treatment, and final follow-up assessments over the course of the 24 week study period.

    The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a measure of participants' PTSD symptoms. The total sum score ranges from 0-80 with lower scores indicating more positive outcomes.

  2. Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning (IPF)

    Time frame: Participants completed the IPF at baseline, pre-treatment, post-treatment, and final follow-up assessments over the course of the 24 week study period.

    The Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning (IPF) is a measure of psychosocial functioning across several domains. The total score was used for this project and reflects a composite of multiple subscales (romantic relationships, family, work, friendships and socializing, parenting, education, and self care). Scores range from 0-100 with lower scores indicating more positive outcomes.

  3. Client Satisfaction Questionnaire

    Time frame: 8 weeks following intervention onset

    Measure of participants' satisfaction with the peer-delivered Whole Health Coaching service. CSQ-8 scores range from 8-32 with higher values indicating more positive outcomes.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Fed

Collaborators

  • US Department of Veterans Affairs

Registry information

Official study title

Peer-Delivered Whole Health Coaching to Improve Recovery in Veterans With PTSD

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Dec 6, 2017
Registry last updated
Dec 21, 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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