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Acceptance and Commitment Training for Veterans with Polytrauma: A randomized controlled trial protocol
Alex Uzdavines1, Raquel D Gonzalez2, Alexandra Price3
1South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX, United States of America; Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America.
Acceptance and Commitment Training plus Education, Resources, and Support (ACT+ERS) may improve reintegration for Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and polytrauma. This study compares ACT+ERS to an active control for Veterans experiencing distress and reintegration challenges.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Psychology
- Traumatology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common among Iraq, Afghanistan, and OND Veterans, often co-occurring with depression, PTSD, and chronic pain, collectively termed polytrauma.
- Polytrauma significantly hinders Veterans' social, occupational, and community reintegration.
- This study addresses the need for effective interventions to support Veterans with polytrauma.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of a one-day Acceptance and Commitment Training plus Education, Resources, and Support (ACT+ERS) workshop against a one-day active control (ERS) workshop.
- To evaluate the impact of the intervention on symptoms of distress and reintegration.
- To examine potential mediators and moderators of treatment response in Veterans with polytrauma.
Main Methods:
- An ongoing randomized clinical trial recruiting 212 OIF/OEF/OND Veterans with polytrauma.
- Participants are randomized to either a one-day ACT+ERS or ERS workshop, with two booster sessions.
- Assessments are conducted pre-workshop and at six weeks, three months, and six months post-workshop; workshops were adapted to a virtual format due to COVID-19.
Main Results:
- Primary outcomes include changes in distress symptoms and reintegration levels.
- Secondary outcomes focus on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and pain interference.
- Exploratory analyses will investigate whether reduced avoidance mediates treatment effects on distress and reintegration.
Conclusions:
- Effective interventions are crucial for the psychological adjustment and reintegration of Veterans with polytrauma.
- This study will offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of a brief intervention for this population.
- Findings will inform clinical practice and support services for Veterans facing polytrauma challenges.
