Art Therapy and Emotional Well Being in Military Populations With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms
- Conditions
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Delayed OnsetCombat Stress DisordersPost-Traumatic HeadacheNightmareCombat and Operational Stress ReactionMilitary OperationsPTSDMilitary ActivityPosttraumatic Stress DisorderSleep Disturbance
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Art Therapy
- Registration Number
- NCT05414708
- Lead Sponsor
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- Brief Summary
Art therapy is used across the Military Health System for treatment of posttraumatic symptoms, but there is limited research on how art therapy is able to restore emotional expression and regulation in service members. This research hopes to learn about the effects of art therapy on emotional expression and regulation in service members as well as the neurological systems at work. If a participant chooses to be in this study, he or she will attend ten sessions over a period of twelve weeks. The first session will be an interview and self-assessment questionnaires to collect information on a variety of symptoms, experiences, and personality traits, and an MRI scan. During the MRI scan, participants will be asked to perform a task where they will be shown a series of neutral and negative images. The middle eight sessions will be one-hour art therapy sessions with a certified art therapist. The last session will consist of the same self-assessment questionnaires and another MRI scan.
- Detailed Description
Art Therapy is used across the Military Health System (MHS) as part of interdisciplinary treatment programs with great success, but there is limited research on how this art therapy works. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to learn about the effects of art therapy on emotional expression and regulation in service members as well as the impact of art therapy on brain systems. If a participant chooses to be in this study he or she will attend ten sessions over a period of ten to twelve weeks. The first session and tenth sessions of this research study will include interviews and self-assessment questionnaires to collect information on a variety of symptoms, experiences, and personality traits, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. During the MRI scan, participants will be asked to perform a task where they will be shown a series of neutral and negative images. These sessions will be about 2.5 to 3 hours. The sessions two through nine will include a one-hour art therapy sessions with a certified art therapist. The art therapy sessions are also considered research interventions.
There is the risk that participants may experience increased psychological or emotional distress or frustration when discussing traumatic events during either the art research intervention sessions or during the questionnaires or interviews. Participants may experience a reduction in symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress (PTS), mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and/or other psychological heath disorders through the art therapy process. However, there is no guarantee that participants will benefit from being in this research. As an alternative to this research, participants can talk to your physician about art therapy or other therapeutic options.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 25
- DEERS Eligible
- Active Duty or Veteran separated within the past 5 years
- Significant posttraumatic stress symptoms (score of >/=31 on the PCL-5)
- History of moderate, severe, or penetrating brain injury
- History of psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or active suicidal or homicidal ideation
- History of multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, or Alzheimer's disease
- History of stroke or myocardial infarction
- History of brain tumor
- History of seizures
- Contradictions for MRI (for example, participants will be excluded for pregnancy, metal implants or suspected shrapnel, aneurysm/intracranial clips, cardiac pacemakers or implanted programmable devices or pumps)
- Unable to provide informed consent
- History of previous exposure to art therapy
- Active substance use disorder
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- SINGLE_GROUP
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Art Therapy Arm Art Therapy 8 weeks of individual art therapy
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method The Primary Outcome Measure is analysis of functional neuroimaging metrics Week 10 The primary outcome measure is the analysis of resting state and task based functional MRI data which include but functional connectivity measures between brain regions at rest and during the task as well as functional activation patterns during the task.
MRI and a series of task based fMRI sequences.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual Five (DSM-V) (PCL-5) Week 10 A 20-item self-report measure of the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. Respondents rate how much they were "bothered by that problem in the past month". Items are rated on a scale ranging from 0 ("not at all") to 4 ("extremely")
Neurobehavioral Symptoms Inventory (NSI) Week 10 A self-reported questionnaire that measures common post concussive symptoms. The severity of each symptom as experienced in the last two weeks is rated on a scale (0) none to (4) very severe
General Self Efficacy Scale (GSES) Week 10 A self-report questionnaire that predicts coping with and adapting to stressful life event. The extent to which the participant agrees with each statement is measured on a scale of 1 (not true at all) to 4 (exactly true).
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Week 10 A self-rated questionnaire that screens for generalized anxiety disorder. A recommended threshold for further evaluation is a score of 10 or greater
Revised Helping Alliance Questionnaire (HAQ-II) Week 10 A self-report questionnaire that measures the strength of the client therapist alliance. The extent to which the participant agrees with each statement is rated on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 6 (strongly agree)
Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) Week 10 A 20-item instrument that measures alexithymia defined as trouble identifying and describing emotions. Items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale whereby 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.
Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) Week 10 A self-report questionnaire that measures the ability to develop, implement, and flexibly maintain planned behavior. The extent to which the participant agrees with each statement is rated on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).
Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Week 10 A self-report questionnaire that measures the level of perceived stress for a participant. How often the participant experiences each event is rated on a scale of 0 (never) to 4 (very often).
Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES) Week 10 A self-report survey that measures potentially morally injurious events. Each phrase is reacted on a Likert scale of 1 (Strongly Agree) to 6 (strongly disagree).
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
National Intrepid Center of Excellence
šŗšøBethesda, Maryland, United States