Effectiveness of Thought Field Therapy Provided by Newly Instructed Community Workers to a Traumatized Population in Uganda: A Randomised Trial
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 发起方
- 入组人数
- 256
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Change in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Check List for Civilians (PLC-C) Score.
研究概览
简要总结
Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is a simple technique that involves tapping on points of the body corresponding to the meridians used in acupuncture. By using specific sequences, TFT can be used to treat a variety of psychological problems. Patients can be taught to treat themselves, and lay people can be trained to treat others in their community, as has been shown for narrative exposure therapy.
Thought Field Therapy has been used to treat whole communities who have suffered psychological trauma following natural disasters and violent conflicts. In these circumstances, TFT can be used as a stand-alone therapy, or as an adjunct to other psychological therapies, by removing the pain of re-living the traumatic events.
Studies in Rwanda have shown that individuals within a community can be treated with brief TFT sessions. Both short-term and longer-term improvements in scores of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) measurement scales have been demonstrated.
The Kasese District in Uganda has suffered from factional conflicts and the consequences of the ongoing struggles in neighbouring countries for many years. Although the government has controlled the situation and secured the borders, many are still haunted by the psychological consequences.
The purpose of the study is to validate the model of addressing widespread psychological trauma following conflict by training community leaders to help others in their community using TFT.
Thirty-six community leaders will be given a two-day training in algorithm level trauma-relief TFT. They will then treat 128 volunteers for their traumas, using TFT, who will be assessed before and one week after treatment by the post-traumatic stress disorder check-list questionnaire for civilians (PCL-C). As a control, a further 128 volunteers will join a wait-list group, who will be assessed at the same time, but treated later.
PCL-C scores before and after treatment will be compared with the wait-list group scores before and after waiting, but before their treatment.
A follow-up assessment of the participants will be undertaken 1 to 2 years later.
详细描述
Six TFT practitioners from the USA, Great Britain, and Norway will train 36 community leaders during a two-day trauma-relief training programme. These newly-trained practitioners will then treat 256 volunteers who feel that they are suffering from psychological trauma. The six visiting practitioners, together with two additional TFT practitioners from Rwanda, will supervise and support the study following the training.
A Catholic Priest, Father Peter Mubunga Basaliza, on behalf of the Kasese Diocese, will organise the recruitment of the local trainers and volunteer participants, including publicising by local radio. All faiths will be welcome, but volunteers must be 18 years of age or older. Volunteers will be informed of their allocated date and time to attend for inclusion in the study. Any volunteer who cannot be accommodated in the study because the pre-requisite number has been met, will be offered TFT by the visiting practitioners and trained community leaders.
Signed consent will be obtained prior to commencing the study. Participants will be provided with an information sheet and duplicate consent forms in Lhukonzo (the local language), and assistance will be provided by Ugandan therapists for those who have difficulty reading. Consent forms will also be available in English for those for whom it is the preferred language. Each participant will also complete a demographic questionnaire.
Participants will be free to withdraw at any time, and any who do so will still be offered TFT, if desired.
Sixty-four participants will be seen each day, 32 in the morning, and 32 in the afternoon, for four consecutive days. They will be allocated according to a previously computer generated random number sequence, to Group A and provided with a blue folder, or Group B and provided with a red folder. Their names will be recorded on a sign-in sheet. They will be identified by a number, which will be written on their folder and documents. Both groups will initially complete the post-trauma checklist (PCL-C) questionnaire (www.pdhealth.mil) available in Lhukonzo, referring to symptoms within the previous week. Therapists, who will be unaware of the individual's group allocation, will assist if necessary. The PCL-C has been translated from English into Lhukonzo and back into English to ensure that the translation is accurate.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Treatment
- 盲法
- Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Volunteers recruited from local communities, who feel that they are suffering from psychological trauma.
排除标准
- •Minimum age
结局指标
主要结局
Change in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Check List for Civilians (PLC-C) Score.
时间窗: Baseline (Time 1), One week later (Time 2) and Two weeks later (Time 3 for Wait-list: Thought field Therapy Arm)
PCL-C (post traumatic check list for civilians) is a measure of the severity of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and can also be used for screening populations, It is a self-completed questionnaire with 17 questions scoring from 1 - 5. The scores of each question are added to create the total score for each participant. The highest possible score for any individual is 85, the lowest score being 17. A diagnostic score for PTSD is accepted as being more than 50. Participants completed the PCL-C just before treatment and one week later. The wait list group received no treatment at Time 1. In the treatment arm, measure immediately pre-treatment (baseline) (time 1) and one week later (time 2). In the wait-list no therapy arm, measure at baseline (time 1), and after one week (no treatment) (time 2). The wait-list group (Thought Field Therapy group) were then treated and reassessed after a further week (time 3).
次要结局
- Percentage With Scores Diagnostic for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PCL-C > 50) Before and After Treatment in Treatment and Control Groups.(Baseline (Time 1), One week later (Time 2) and Two weeks later (Time 3 for Wait-list: Thought field Therapy Arm))
研究者
Robert Howard Robson
Dr Robert Howard Robson
Thought Field Therapy Foundation (UK) Ltd