The Development of a Transdiagnostic Intervention to Improve Social Functioning and Intimate Relationships Among Veterans

NCT ID: NCT06746727

Last Updated: 2024-12-24

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 29 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2028-07-03
• Study Completion Date: 2030-09-30

Brief Summary

Veterans seeking to improve their romantic relationships when high conflict and unhealthy dynamics (e.g., aggression) are present remain underserved within the VHA with few treatment options. Veterans with PTSD and alcohol misuse face compounding and overlapping barriers to intimate relationship functioning warranting tailored interventions. These Veterans may be best served through individual, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions which can both 1) improve the ability to manage challenging, internal experiences (e.g., physiological reactivity, cravings, beliefs about worth and trust) and 2) encourage participation in valued actions to improve relationship functioning. Following development and refinement, this clinical trial will pilot an evidence-based, integrated ACT intervention (ACT for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness [ACT-SHARE]) to improve relationship health and safety for Veterans with PTSD alcohol misuse.

Detailed Description

Romantic partnerships greatly impact mental and physical wellness. However, these vital relationships are frequently put at risk by behaviors which put the health and safety of relationships at risk such as high interpersonal conflict or aggression (intimate partner violence [IPV]). Veterans endorse high rates of relationship conflict which frequently include the use of physical or psychological aggression toward a partner. As a prevalent and detrimental problem, interventions are gravely needed that consider primary drivers of relationship conflict and aggression: internal emotional processes and intimate relationship functioning (e.g., intimacy, communication, conflict resolution). Intervention development holds particular importance for Veterans who have few treatment options and present with distinct risk factors. For instance, co-occurring PTSD and alcohol misuse (i.e., hazardous alcohol use or alcohol use disorder; AUD) exacerbate risk for intimate relationship dysfunction and IPV use among Veterans through overlapping processes (e.g., emotional numbing, social erosion, increased threat perception). Despite high prevalence of co-occurrence and well-defined impact on relationship functioning and IPV use risk, Veterans with PTSD and alcohol misuse are not well served by couple's interventions, IPV use treatments, or evidence-based practices for co-occurring disorders. Veterans endorsing high relationship conflict, particularly when reaching the point of IPV use, are frequently excluded from services or sent to several, distinct interventions to treat intersecting problems such as alcohol misuse and PTSD. While evidenced based interventions for PTSD and alcohol misuse show distinct promise in symptom reduction, they do not necessarily improve psychosocial functioning. Relationship health and safety interventions do not yet exist which provide tailored, individual programming. With these limitations, existing referral lines for increase likelihood for dropout and evidence higher rates of poor relationship functioning and IPV following treatment. A new intervention is needed which can provide individualized treatment for Veterans with PTSD and alcohol misuse targeting intimate relationship functioning and IPV reduction. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a promising avenue for intervention development. Increasing "psychological flexibility" via ACT, or value-driven functioning in the presence of challenging internal experiences, addresses a transdiagnostic process spanning across PTSD, alcohol misuse, intimate relationship functioning, and IPV use. This five year Rehabilitation Research Development and Translation (RRDT) career development award aims to develop, refine, and pilot this individual, manualized treatment called: ACT for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness (ACT-SHARE). Following Phase 1 which will develop the intervention and Phase 2 which will refine the intervention through iterative feedback, Phase 3 will pilot the adapted intervention, full trial procedures including 12-month follow-up, and training and rating procedures. Primary aims include feasibility and acceptability with exploratory aims examining change scores (relationship functioning, IPV use, PTSD symptoms, alcohol use) and candidate processes (psychological flexibility).

Conditions

Alcohol Problems; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

Social Functioning; Intimate Partner Abuse; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; Alcohol Problems; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

ACT-SHARE

This is a single-arm intervention with all participants assigned to receive Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness (ACT-SHARE). ACT-SHARE has been adapted for this study from existing interventions using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to address alcohol use, PTSD, social functioning, and IPV use.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness (ACT-SHARE)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

This single-arm intervention will pilot a new, manualized intervention adapted from existing interventions using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to address alcohol use, PTSD, social functioning, and IPV use. ACT for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness (ACT-SHARE) aims to assist Veterans in developing skills central to psychological flexibility (e.g., acceptance, mindfulness, commitment to values-based action) to improve their relationship functioning and decrease IPV use in the presence of PTSD symptoms (e.g., anger, irritability, detachment from others) and alcohol use issues (e.g., cravings, triggers, disconnection from valued roles).

Interventions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness (ACT-SHARE)

This single-arm intervention will pilot a new, manualized intervention adapted from existing interventions using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to address alcohol use, PTSD, social functioning, and IPV use. ACT for Social Health, Achievement, and Relationship Effectiveness (ACT-SHARE) aims to assist Veterans in developing skills central to psychological flexibility (e.g., acceptance, mindfulness, commitment to values-based action) to improve their relationship functioning and decrease IPV use in the presence of PTSD symptoms (e.g., anger, irritability, detachment from others) and alcohol use issues (e.g., cravings, triggers, disconnection from valued roles).

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

ACT-SHARE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Endorses at least one act of IPV in the past 3 months
• Endorses treatment goals related to improving romantic relationship functioning
• Meets DSM 5 Criteria for PTSD and screening cutoffs for alcohol misuse (mild to severe AUD criteria met and/or above AUDIT cutoff).
• Consents to audio recording.
• Able to provide informed consent.
• Consents to partner outreach if in a relationship.
• Over 18 years of age

Exclusion Criteria

• Evidence of active psychosis or mania
• Suicidality requiring inpatient hospitalization
• Severity of active substance use requiring detoxification
• Cognitive impairment that would interfere with study participation

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

VA Office of Research and Development

FED

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Hannah Grigorian, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA

Locations

VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA

Bedford, Massachusetts, United States

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Hannah Grigorian, PhD

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (781) 888-6962

Email: hannah.grigorian@va.gov

Facility Contacts

Paula Mroz, PhD

Role: primary

Other Identifiers

D5027-W

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id