MedDataX Logo

The Efficacy of a Brief Resilience Training Program for Hurricane Sandy Disaster Responders

NCT ID: NCT02417051

Last Updated: 2016-12-16

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

202 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-04-30

Study Completion Date

2016-11-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The goal of this project is to adapt and test the efficacy of the National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety (NIEHS) Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program for Superstorm Sandy responders. The DWRT is a brief, 4-5 hour training program designed to improve resilience for stress reactions in active emergency responders. A total of 120 participants will be recruited. 60 will receive the DWRT, and 60 will be assigned to a waitlist control condition. A three-month assessment period will be utilized to enable us to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Participants assigned to the waitlist condition will be offered the option to participant in the course following completion of the 3 month wait period. It is hypothesized that, participants attending the DWRT program, as compared to those in the waitlist condition, will show increased resilience at three months post-intervention as indicated by lower perceived stress, greater posttraumatic growth, more positive health behaviors (e.g., sleep, nutrition, exercise), and fewer new PTSD and depression symptoms. It is predicted that participants attending the DWRT program, as compared to those in the waitlist condition, will demonstrate greater awareness of the mental health effects of disasters, including the symptoms of PTSD and depression. It is predicted that, participants attending the DWRT program, as compared to those in the waitlist condition, will endorse more positive attitudes towards mental health care, including willingness to seek treatment if needed.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This project is a scientific collaboration between the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program at Stony Brook University (SBU), the Epidemiology Program at North Shore-LIJ Health System (NSLIJ), and Rutgers University. The goal is to adapt and test the efficacy of the National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety (NIEHS) Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program for Sandy responders by leveraging data from the ongoing projects and the expertise of collaborators at these sites. The DWRT program was originally designed for and piloted with responders to the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill. Knowledge from the ongoing Sandy projects will be used to tailor this intervention to address Sandy-specific risk factors and unique features of the responder communities in the New York Metropolitan area. Responders identified from ongoing projects at SBU (N=1500, 50% anticipated eligible) and other current local disaster responders will be targeted for enrollment. The objectives are to: (1) to adapt the DWRT program for this population; (2) recruit and randomly assign responders (N = 120) to the DWRT program or a waitlist control condition; (3) assess the efficacy of this intervention to enhance resilience over a three month period; and (4) host forums with community stakeholders to share information on this program and its outcomes. The expected outcomes are: (1) efficacy data on the DWRT program, and (2) qualitative data on the acceptability of this intervention to Sandy responders. The products are: (1) a final report; (2) articles for publication; (3) abstracts for national conferences; and (4) a training manual, participant workbook, and presenter materials.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Psychological Stress

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

Psychological Resilience Perceived Stress Psychological Stress Disaster Worker Superstorm Sandy Mental Health Prevention

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Resiliency Training

Intervention: Disaster Worker Resiliency Training (DWRT) Program.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Disaster Worker Resiliency Training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program is a 4 hour program which consists of a participant training manual, an instructor-training manual, and a digital presentation. It uses adult training techniques that emphasize active participation in individual and group experiential learning activities. The curriculum is organized into a preface and four chapters, each with action oriented learning objectives. Overall program objectives include a demonstrate an ability to: 1) Recognize signs and symptoms of disaster work-related stress, 2) Obtain support through employer and community resources, and 3) Build resilience by using stress reduction and coping strategies.

Waitlist

Waitlist control: Participants to be offered the program after completion of the trial.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Disaster Worker Resiliency Training

The Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program is a 4 hour program which consists of a participant training manual, an instructor-training manual, and a digital presentation. It uses adult training techniques that emphasize active participation in individual and group experiential learning activities. The curriculum is organized into a preface and four chapters, each with action oriented learning objectives. Overall program objectives include a demonstrate an ability to: 1) Recognize signs and symptoms of disaster work-related stress, 2) Obtain support through employer and community resources, and 3) Build resilience by using stress reduction and coping strategies.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

Disaster Worker Resilience Training (DWRT) Program

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

* Participated as a volunteer or professional in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.
* Report that they are still an active disaster responder (i.e., they may be called upon to participate in future disaster relief efforts) as either a volunteer or professional.

Exclusion Criteria

* An inability to comprehend the intervention in English.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Northwell Health

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Rutgers University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Department of Health and Human Services

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

Stony Brook University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Adam Gonzalez

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Adam Gonzalez, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Stony Brook University

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB. Validation and utility of a self-report version of PRIME-MD: the PHQ primary care study. Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders. Patient Health Questionnaire. JAMA. 1999 Nov 10;282(18):1737-44. doi: 10.1001/jama.282.18.1737.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10568646 (View on PubMed)

Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 6668417 (View on PubMed)

Weathers, FW., Litz, BT, Keane, TM, Palmieri, PA, Marx, BP, & Schnurr, PP. The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). National Center for PTSD. 2013.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Cann A, Calhoun LG, Tedeschi RG, Taku K, Vishnevsky T, Triplett KN, Danhauer SC. A short form of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2010;23(2):127-37. doi: 10.1080/10615800903094273.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19582640 (View on PubMed)

Fischer, Edward H, and Farina, A. Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help: A Shortened Form and Considerations for Research. Journal of College Student Development 36(4): 368-73, 1995.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Kunzler AM, Helmreich I, Chmitorz A, Konig J, Binder H, Wessa M, Lieb K. Psychological interventions to foster resilience in healthcare professionals. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Jul 5;7(7):CD012527. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012527.pub2.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 32627860 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

https://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=2528

Link to NIEHS Disaster Worker Training Program Materials

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

1-HITEP-140021-01-00

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id