Pharmacologic Treatment of PTSD in Sexually Abused Children

Phase 3

Completed

Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Interventions: Behavioral: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Drug: Sertraline Pill
Drug: Placebo Oral Tablet

Registration Number: NCT00078767

Lead Sponsor: Allegheny Singer Research Institute (also known as Allegheny Health Network Research Institute)

Brief Summary: This study will evaluate the benefit of adding sertraline (Zoloft®) to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for sexually abused children who have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Detailed Description: Adult research has demonstrated the efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in decreasing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms; to date the SSRIs are the only medication class with demonstrated efficacy in treating all three PTSD symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal). No studies have evaluated the impact of SSRIs on PTSD symptoms in children or adolescents. Trauma-focused CBT has been shown in several studies to be efficacious in decreasing PTSD symptoms in sexually abused children and adolescents. Many children and youth with PTSD are currently prescribed SSRIs and other medications. This study will evaluate whether adding the SSRI sertraline provides additional benefits over TF-CBT treatment for sexually abused children and adolescents with PTSD. If adequate numbers of children with comorbid PTSD and depressive and/or anxiety disorders are included, it may also be possible to evaluate whether any benefit of adding sertraline is restricted to those children with comorbid disorders.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: COMPLETED

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL

Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
TF-CBT + sertraline	Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy	Trauma-Focused CBT provided individually to youth and parent for 12 sessions (90 minute sessions; 45 minutes for youth; 45 minutes for parent); plus Sertraline provided in dosage titrated as clinically indicated by child psychiatrist blind to treatment assignment, from 50mg/day to a maximum dosage of 150 mg/day
TF-CBT + sertraline	Sertraline Pill	Trauma-Focused CBT provided individually to youth and parent for 12 sessions (90 minute sessions; 45 minutes for youth; 45 minutes for parent); plus Sertraline provided in dosage titrated as clinically indicated by child psychiatrist blind to treatment assignment, from 50mg/day to a maximum dosage of 150 mg/day
TF-CBT +placebo	Sertraline Pill	Trauma-Focused CBT provided individually to youth and parent for 12 sessions (90 minute sessions; 45 minutes for youth; 45 minutes for parent); plus placebo identical to Sertraline, provided in pill form and titrated as clinically indicated by child psychiatrist blind to treatment assignment, from 1 to 3 pills/day (identical in appearance to 50 to 150mg/day of Sertraline)
TF-CBT +placebo	Placebo Oral Tablet	Trauma-Focused CBT provided individually to youth and parent for 12 sessions (90 minute sessions; 45 minutes for youth; 45 minutes for parent); plus placebo identical to Sertraline, provided in pill form and titrated as clinically indicated by child psychiatrist blind to treatment assignment, from 1 to 3 pills/day (identical in appearance to 50 to 150mg/day of Sertraline)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Kiddie-Sads-Present and Lifetime (KSADS-PL) Scale for PTSD	Up to 39 months	Change in PTSD parameters as determined by changes in score. At enrollment, participants either did or did not have a PTSD diagnosis. The three categories displayed show participants who had the PTSD diagnosis at the time of enrollment but did have evidence of PTSD at the end of their participation, participants who had PTSD at enrollment and who continued to exhibit PTSD at the end of their participation, and those who did not have a PTSD diagnosis at the start of the trial. There are numerous criteria used to determine a PTSD diagnosis; they are not individually listed. The diagnosis was sufficient for the purposes of the study.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) for Depressive Symptoms	Up to 39 months	Change in depressive symptoms as determined by change in score
Anxiety Symptoms	Up to 39 months	Change in SCARED scores between treatment groups.There were two categories of depression: participants that had clinical signs of depression at the time of enrollment, and participants that did not have clinical signs of depression. Participants in the "clinical symptom present at enrollment" category were tested to see if their status changed during the trial.
Incidence of Suicidality	Up to 39 months	Change in degree of suicidal ideation during study
Global Impairment	Up to 39 months	Change in Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) between the two groups