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Reducing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms in First Responders and Frontline Health Care Workers
NCT05751473 · University of Michigan
In plain English
Click the button to translate this study into plain language — what it is, who qualifies, and what participation looks like.
Official title
Reducing PTSD Symptoms in First Responders and Frontline Healthcare Workers Through Trauma-focused Treatment in Employee Assistance Programs
About this study
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).
Eligibility criteria
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
Inclusion criteria for the qualitative portion of the study:
\- 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.
Study design
Enrollment target: 410 participants
Allocation: randomized
Masking: none
Age groups: adult, older_adult
Timeline
Starts: 2023-05-16
Estimated completion: 2026-08-31
Last updated: 2025-07-02
Interventions
Behavioral: Prolonged Exposure for Primary Care (PE-PC)Behavioral: EAP Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Primary outcomes
- • Change in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5) score (baseline to 6 months)
Sponsor
University of Michigan · other
With: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Contacts & investigators
ContactJames Garlick · contact · jgarlick@med.umich.edu · 734-232-2663
ContactNaomi Hemphill · contact · hnaomi@med.umich.edu
InvestigatorRebecca Sripada, PhD · principal_investigator, University of Michigan
All locations (12)
Sharp HealthcareWithdrawn
San Diego, California, United States
Tanner Health SystemRecruiting
Carrollton, Georgia, United States
University of MichiganRecruiting
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Henry Ford Health SystemActive Not Recruiting
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Detroit Fire DepartmentRecruiting
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Health Management Systems of AmericaRecruiting
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Michigan State UniversityRecruiting
East Lansing, Michigan, United States
West Bloomfield Fire DepartmentActive Not Recruiting
West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States
Cope NewYork-PresbyterianRecruiting
New York, New York, United States
University of Cincinati HealthNot Yet Recruiting
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
ProMedicaRecruiting
Fremont, Ohio, United States
Houston Fire DepartmentRecruiting
Houston, Texas, United States