An Investigation Into the Effectiveness of Differing Treatment Intensities on a Group-based Psychoeducational Intervention for Complex Interpersonal Trauma Symptomatology With Male Offenders

Central to this study will be the use of non-randomised control design whereby all participants will receive treatment at the trial sites they are currently located at. The sites will deliver the intervention at different intensities either weekly (ie 'spaced') or twice weekly ('compressed'). As such the trial design is a pragmatic response to the resources made available to facilitate this trial. A sample of n = 196 male prisoners with a history of complex interpersonal trauma will be drawn from the 2 participating UK prison establishments. Participants will be initially identified by routine 'generic' and mental health assessments that consider a range of social, health and offending behaviour related needs. Those prisoners whose prior assessments indicate a history of childhood or adulthood trauma will be invited to participate in a one-off interview. Information during interviews will be collected by means of standardised questionnaires regarding the nature and extent of lifetime traumatic events and current psychopathology.

All trial participants will continue their usual psychological, psychiatric, and medical care during the study. Data collection interviews will be carried out in designated interview areas within the prison or any other suitable place of their choosing. All interviews will be conducted by a research assistant, who will have experience in working with adults with complex trauma and mental health concerns.

Psychoeducational Intervention: Survive & Thrive (S&T). The 'present focussed' group format is designed to be part of the process of stabilisation of clients presenting difficulties prior to embarking on work with the traumatic elements of their experiences. Survive & Thrive was designed to help clients achieve stabilisation in a resource efficient way, while at the same time providing service users with support while they are on waiting lists to access further treatment. The focus of this intervention is therefore primarily on ensuring safety, stabilisation and affect management skills.

A total of 10 manualised sessions of approximately 1.5 hour duration are offered. Individual sessions run using an educational format and in an informal setting, with a strong emphasis on avoiding individual disclosures. Groups will be delivered utilising a multi-disciplinary work force consisting of mental health staff in a ratio of 2 per group. Groups will consist of a maximum of 8-10 participants per group and whilst they will be randomly selected in accordance with the procedure outlined about a local treatment manager (psychology manager) will ensure that issues all security concerns and group dynamics that might potentially mitigate the effectiveness of the intervention are accounted for. All professionals who facilitate the delivery of the programme will have a background in applied psychology or mental health and will have received standardised three-day training on the delivery of the intervention and an additional day to account for the adjustments made to S&T to assist with delivery in this population and setting. Regular supervision will also be provided during the delivery of the programme.

Inclusion Criteria: All convicted male inmates over the age of 18 years old at the trial sites who indicate a history of interpersonal complex trauma will be invited to participate in this study. It should be noted that potential participants may present with different clusters of PTSD and CPTSD symptoms.