Reducing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms in First Responders and Frontline Health Care Workers

NCT ID: NCT05751473

Last Updated: 2025-07-02

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

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

410 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-05-16

Study Completion Date

2026-08-31

Brief Summary

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This study addresses PTSD symptoms in First Responders and Healthcare workers. Specifically, it tests whether a brief PTSD treatment (talk therapy) effectively treats PTSD when provided to First Responders and Healthcare workers by counselors in Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs).

The central hypothesis is that the PTSD treatment, Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC), will reduce PTSD symptoms and improve functioning, compared to EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU).

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Treatment will be given by telehealth or in person, depending on the participant preference.

Content is drawn from the Full Prolonged Exposure model and condensed so as to deliver the most efficacious components in a brief format. There will be 4-6 weekly 30-minute sessions. Treatment follows the standardized PE-PC manual and workbook. At the end of the final session, the counselor and participant will review treatment progress and either conclude treatment or refer the participant to outside mental healthcare for more intensive treatment.

Participants will complete surveys and complete homework during and following the study.

EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Employee Assistance Programs standard treatment.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Treatment will be given by telehealth or in person, depending on the participant preference and current EAP practices (4-6 weeks). This will be the standard of care practice at each EAP site. Usually, this includes up to six sessions of solution focused therapy, and referrals to an established network of community providers who specialize in PTSD treatment. All PTSD care received during the study will be collected and monitored as TAU. The type of TAU used will reflect the current practice in EAPs and will not be constrained in the study design. EAP staff will monitor and record all EAP care received, including tracking no shows and cancellations. Study team members will document care received outside of the EAP (including psychiatric medications) by self-report.

Participants will complete surveys and complete homework during and following the study.

Interventions

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Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC)

Treatment will be given by telehealth or in person, depending on the participant preference.

Content is drawn from the Full Prolonged Exposure model and condensed so as to deliver the most efficacious components in a brief format. There will be 4-6 weekly 30-minute sessions. Treatment follows the standardized PE-PC manual and workbook. At the end of the final session, the counselor and participant will review treatment progress and either conclude treatment or refer the participant to outside mental healthcare for more intensive treatment.

Participants will complete surveys and complete homework during and following the study.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU)

Treatment will be given by telehealth or in person, depending on the participant preference and current EAP practices (4-6 weeks). This will be the standard of care practice at each EAP site. Usually, this includes up to six sessions of solution focused therapy, and referrals to an established network of community providers who specialize in PTSD treatment. All PTSD care received during the study will be collected and monitored as TAU. The type of TAU used will reflect the current practice in EAPs and will not be constrained in the study design. EAP staff will monitor and record all EAP care received, including tracking no shows and cancellations. Study team members will document care received outside of the EAP (including psychiatric medications) by self-report.

Participants will complete surveys and complete homework during and following the study.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Are employees at an orginization served by a participating EAP
* Have a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5) score ≥33
* Have had psychotropic medication stability for at least 4 weeks


\- Enrolled into the randomized clinical trial and were a treatment responder or were a treatment non-responder

Exclusion Criteria

* Severe cognitive impairment that in the judgment of the investigators makes it unlikely that the participant can adhere to the study regimen (as evidenced by confusion, inability to track discussion or answer questions, or other clear and significant indicators of cognitive impairment)
* High risk of suicide (defined as meeting criteria for Action Step 3 on the Participant Suicide Risk Screening form: found in protocol)
* Need for detoxification
* Active psychosis or unmanaged bipolar disorder, as measured by items 12 and 13 of the cross cutting assessment
* Currently engagement in a trauma-focused behavioral treatment (such as Prolonged Exposure or Cognitive Processing Therapy).
* Patients who do not speak English will be excluded for logistical reasons.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Michigan

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Rebecca Sripada

Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Rebecca Sripada, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Michigan

Locations

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Sharp Healthcare

San Diego, California, United States

Site Status WITHDRAWN

Tanner Health System

Carrollton, Georgia, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Henry Ford Health System

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Detroit Fire Department

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Health Management Systems of America

Detroit, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

West Bloomfield Fire Department

West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States

Site Status ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Cope NewYork-Presbyterian

New York, New York, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

University of Cincinati Health

Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

Site Status NOT_YET_RECRUITING

ProMedica

Fremont, Ohio, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Houston Fire Department

Houston, Texas, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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James Garlick

Role: CONTACT

734-232-2663

Naomi Hemphill

Role: CONTACT

Facility Contacts

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Rachel M Walker, Ed.S., LPC, CEAP, CCC

Role: primary

770-834-8327

James Garlick

Role: primary

Naomi Hemphill

Role: backup

Lennette Wood

Role: primary

313-530-2912

Monique Jones, LMSW, CEAP

Role: primary

800-847-7240

Jon Novello, LMSW,ACSW

Role: primary

517-355-4509

Randy Martin, PhD

Role: primary

646-988-1763

Lisa Melink, MA,LPCC

Role: primary

513-585-6094

Chris Tafelski, LPCC,CEAP

Role: primary

419-291-1219 ext. 211219

Leah Belsches, PsyD

Role: primary

832-405-6865

Other Identifiers

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1R01MH126693-01

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

HUM00219260

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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