Feasibility Study of the Self-Care Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP) ® After a Traumatic Experience

NCT ID: NCT06277973

Last Updated: 2024-03-27

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

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

200 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2024-04-30

Study Completion Date

2025-05-31

Brief Summary

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The study aims to assess the feasibility of an online intervention platform based on the Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP®). This intervention targets early trauma reactions, aiming to reduce the risk of future PTSD.

Detailed Description

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The primary objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of an immediate stabilization procedure adapted for online self-usage.

This procedure relies on the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment, a well-known approach for post-traumatic responses. It involves bilateral stimulation of the brain's hemispheres through tapping on the body (i.e., the 'Butterfly Hug') and positive therapist statements during the tapping process. Key advantages of this protocol include: 1) prevents long-term post-traumatic symptoms; 2) short intervention - takes 5-20 minutes on average; 3) simple procedure that does not require recalling traumatic memories; 4) could be administered by non-mental health experts.

The ISP® protocol was found effective and safe in Israel (face-to-face) and the Ukraine (remote). In addition, online variations of the protocol for self-usage have been utilized globally. The on-going state of war emphasizes the critical need for immediate emotional support. A collaborative group involving researchers, mental health clinicians, and software engineers adapted the ISP® protocol for online self-usage. The current study aims to evaluate the efficiency of this intervention.

Conditions

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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Acute Stress Disorder

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Participants will be randomly allocated to one of the following groups: the experiment group and the waiting list group. Each group will receive the intervention but in the waiting list group this will occur a week later:

Experiment group:

Day 1 - questionnaires (T1) Day 4 - intervention Day 7 - questionnaires (T2) Day 97 - follow up questionnaires (T3)

Waiting list group:

Day 1 - questionnaires (T0) Day 7 - questionnaires (T1) Day 11- intervention Day 14- questionnaires (T2) Day 104- follow up questionnaires (T3) The parallel element of this model lies in the first week of the study: the experiment group goes through 2 measurements with the intervention in the middle of the week, whereas the waiting list group goes through 2 measurements without the intervention.
Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants
Participants will be informed that the intervention will occur between 2 days and 14 days and that they will fill 3-4 surveys. They will not be aware that there are two groups.

Study Groups

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Immediate Stabilization Procedure

Participants in this arm will answer questionnaires and go through the intervention according to this schedule:

Day 1 - questionnaires (T1) Day 4 - intervention Day 7 - questionnaires (T2) Day 97 - follow up questionnaires (T3)

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is based on EMDR therapy for PTSD treatment. Participants will answer demographic questions, choose a primary distress source and watch a therapist-guided video (male or female, based on participant choice) that will instruct them through the 'Butterfly Hug' method (tapping alternately on both sides of the body) while hearing positive statements from the therapists on the chosen distress source. Before and after each video participants will rate their distress level on a scale between 0 and 10 and they can view up to 8 videos per session. The system will monitor distress levels, and if it detects a sustained deterioration, it will end the intervention. At the end of the intervention, participants will be given information about possible reactions to it and how to deal with them, they will be encouraged to use the technique whenever necessary, and they will be informed of relevant support lines that they can contact if needed.

Waiting list

Participants in this arm will answer questionnaires and do the intervention according to this schedule:

Day 1 - questionnaires (T0) Day 7 - questionnaires (T1) Day 11- intervention Day 14- questionnaires (T2) Day 104- follow up questionnaires (T3) Thus, unlike in the experimental arm, the intervention will be delayed by a week and participants will fill out questionnaires one additional time, a week before they begin the same protocol as the experimental arm.

Group Type OTHER

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The intervention is based on EMDR therapy for PTSD treatment. Participants will answer demographic questions, choose a primary distress source and watch a therapist-guided video (male or female, based on participant choice) that will instruct them through the 'Butterfly Hug' method (tapping alternately on both sides of the body) while hearing positive statements from the therapists on the chosen distress source. Before and after each video participants will rate their distress level on a scale between 0 and 10 and they can view up to 8 videos per session. The system will monitor distress levels, and if it detects a sustained deterioration, it will end the intervention. At the end of the intervention, participants will be given information about possible reactions to it and how to deal with them, they will be encouraged to use the technique whenever necessary, and they will be informed of relevant support lines that they can contact if needed.

Interventions

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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

The intervention is based on EMDR therapy for PTSD treatment. Participants will answer demographic questions, choose a primary distress source and watch a therapist-guided video (male or female, based on participant choice) that will instruct them through the 'Butterfly Hug' method (tapping alternately on both sides of the body) while hearing positive statements from the therapists on the chosen distress source. Before and after each video participants will rate their distress level on a scale between 0 and 10 and they can view up to 8 videos per session. The system will monitor distress levels, and if it detects a sustained deterioration, it will end the intervention. At the end of the intervention, participants will be given information about possible reactions to it and how to deal with them, they will be encouraged to use the technique whenever necessary, and they will be informed of relevant support lines that they can contact if needed.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

1. Hebrew speakers
2. Age 18 years or older
3. Have been in Israel since October 7th 2023 (the start of the war)
4. Were exposed to traumatic events during the war (Alarms, participated in battles, were attacked by terrorists, etcetera)
5. Access to PC/smartphone
6. Basic technological skills, ability to use the internet and email.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Diagnosed with psychotic conditions.
2. Diagnosed with PTSD or complex PTSD.
3. Diagnosed with alcohol use disorder or drug abuse disorder.
4. Suicidal ideation
5. Treated with medication, psychotherapy, or any other mental treatment

About 10 randomly selected subjects will perform the intervention while recorded via zoom in the presence of a research assistant. This will allow us to assess the way subjects utilize this intervention.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Tel Aviv University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Oren Asman

Senior lecturer and director of the Samueli initiative for responsible AI in medicine

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Oren Asman, LLD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Tel Aviv University

Yael Lahav, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Tel Aviv University

Locations

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Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv, , Israel

Site Status

Countries

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Israel

Central Contacts

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Oren Asman, LLD

Role: CONTACT

0097236408488

References

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Beatty, S., Moore-Felton, M.S., Zaporozhets, O. et al. Effectiveness of Immediate Stabilization Procedure (ISP®) Associated with Wartime Events. Int J Adv Counselling (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-023-09531-2

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Bernstein EM, Putnam FW. Development, reliability, and validity of a dissociation scale. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1986 Dec;174(12):727-35. doi: 10.1097/00005053-198612000-00004.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 3783140 (View on PubMed)

Brunet A, Weiss DS, Metzler TJ, Best SR, Neylan TC, Rogers C, Fagan J, Marmar CR. The Peritraumatic Distress Inventory: a proposed measure of PTSD criterion A2. Am J Psychiatry. 2001 Sep;158(9):1480-5. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.158.9.1480.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11532735 (View on PubMed)

Cardena E, Koopman C, Classen C, Waelde LC, Spiegel D. Psychometric properties of the Stanford Acute Stress Reaction Questionnaire (SASRQ): a valid and reliable measure of acute stress. J Trauma Stress. 2000 Oct;13(4):719-34. doi: 10.1023/A:1007822603186.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11109242 (View on PubMed)

Derogatis LR. BSI 18, Brief Symptom Inventory 18: Administration, scoring and Procedure Manual. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson, Incorporated; 2001.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Fuse T, Forsyth JP, Marx B, Gallup GG, Weaver S. Factor structure of the Tonic Immobility Scale in female sexual assault survivors: an exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. J Anxiety Disord. 2007;21(3):265-83. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2006.05.004. Epub 2006 Jul 18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16854560 (View on PubMed)

Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBA.0000007455.08539.94

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Kilpatrick DG, Resnick HS, Milanak ME, Miller MW, Keyes KM, Friedman MJ. National estimates of exposure to traumatic events and PTSD prevalence using DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. J Trauma Stress. 2013 Oct;26(5):537-47. doi: 10.1002/jts.21848.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24151000 (View on PubMed)

Marmar, C. R., Weiss, D. S., & Metzler, T. J. (1997). The Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire. In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 412-428). The Guilford Press.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JB, Lowe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006 May 22;166(10):1092-7. doi: 10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16717171 (View on PubMed)

Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Keane, T. M., Palmieri, P. A., Marx, B. P., & Schnurr, P. P. (2013). The ptsd checklist for dsm-5 (pcl-5). Scale available from the National Center for PTSD at www. ptsd. va. gov, 10(4), 206

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Zvolensky MJ, Garey L, Fergus TA, Gallagher MW, Viana AG, Shepherd JM, Mayorga NA, Kelley LP, Griggs JO, Schmidt NB. Refinement of anxiety sensitivity measurement: The Short Scale Anxiety Sensitivity Index (SSASI). Psychiatry Res. 2018 Nov;269:549-557. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.115. Epub 2018 Aug 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 30199696 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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0007551-2

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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