Research Projects - PTSD

U.S. Soldier with a tear running down his cheekPHREI has several studies on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its treatment.

Computerized Tailored Intervention for Behavioral Sequelae of PTSD in Veterans

This project is designed to enhance the emotional and physical well-being of veterans with PTSD symptoms through the reduction of smoking, depression, and stress through the use of an empirically based computerized tailored intervention (CTI) or expert systems. The proposed CTI uses the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) as the theoretical basis for the intervention, and it is ideally suited to those who are resistant to change and unlikely to take action in the near future, as well as those prone to relapse. The proposed CTI system will provide an intervention that emphasizes health behavior change at one's own pace, rather than the linear progression through a structured behavior change program.

Telemental Health and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Female Veterans with Military-Related PTSD

Research with military troops returning from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan indicates that there is a new generation of both male and, more so than in previous wars, female veterans with high rates of military-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Many of these veterans are returning to rural and remote areas where access to trauma specific mental health services can be limited. This study will assess the effectiveness of telemental health as a mode of service delivery for high priority specialty services such as the treatment of PTSD.  Further, given mounting evidence of the healthcare needs of female veterans and gender-specific aspects of military-related PTSD, telemental health studies that include evaluations of clinical outcomes for specialized PTSD interventions among women are needed.

Telemental Health and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Rural Combat Veterans with PTSD

The immediate objective of this project is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a telemental health modality (video-teleconferencing) for providing an evidence-based group intervention, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), to rural OIF/OEF Reservists, National Guardsmen, and veterans suffering with PTSD.  Investigators hope to develop an empirically sound telemental health protocol that will facilitate the extension of a manual-guided evidence-based PTSD treatment intervention to remote VA and DOD sites through video-teleconferencing.

 

For additional information:

http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/index.asp

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/ptsd/htm/video.htm