At a glance
ClinicalIndex Comparison Record- ✓Male Veteran who served in OEF/OIF/OND
- ✓Currently meets PTSD diagnosis criteria per Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale-5
- ✓At least 3 self-reported impulsive aggressive acts in the last month (yelling, throwing objects, hitting objects/people)
- ✓Impulsive aggression is primary form of aggression (higher Impulsive Aggression subscore than Premeditated Aggression subscore)
- ✕Previously begun Prolonged Exposure (PE) or Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
- ✕Currently suicidal with intent of self-harm in the last week
- ✕Currently homicidal with plans to hurt a specific person
- ✕Unable to complete self-report measures
Standardized by ClinicalIndex from the ClinicalTrials.gov record · verify against the source.
CAP - Using Emotion Regulation to Decrease Aggression in Veterans With PTSD
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA) for Chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Completed, enrolled 24 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Impulsive aggression (IA) is common among Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and PTSD is one of the most prevalent post deployment mental health conditions affecting Afghanistan and Iraq Veterans. An inability to manage one's emotions (emotion dysregulation) is an underlying mechanism of IA. Reducing IA and increasing use of PTSD evidence-based psychotherapies are two critical missions for the Veterans Health Administration. This research supports these missions by providing a 3-session emotion regulation training (Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression) to Veterans in order to teach them how to manage emotions and prepare for PTSD treatment. This is an open trail, so all Veterans who meet the inclusion criteria will be allowed to receive the treatment. Each Veteran's level of aggression and emotion dysregulation will be measured at the beginning and end to the treatment. By enhancing Veterans' abilities to cope with trauma-related emotions and feel equipped to initiate PTSD treatments, this research aims to help Veterans decrease IA and ultimately recover from PTSD.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
MERA is a 3-session group treatment that teaches Veterans the purpose of emotions, how trauma and combat can increase emotions, and how to better regulate them. The skills use cognitive-behavioral and mindfulness techniques to help Veteran better regulate their emotions. These skills are commonly used in clinical practice, but have not been delivered in 3 sessions.