Comparing Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy to Prolonged Exposure in the Treatment of Soldiers with PTSD

Abstract

This randomized, single blind study is evaluating the efficacy of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) by comparing it to prolonged exposure therapy (PE) and a waitlist (WL) group in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in active duty (AD) Soldiers with combat-related trauma. During the first year, the study team developed the infrastructure to implement the trial including personnel hiring and training, process development to identify, screen, and enroll participants, completion of study-related VR Iraq scenarios, and research protocol development. During the second year, recruitment and enrollment of soldiers for study participation began, and by the end of year two 145 referrals for treatment had been received, 84 subjects consented to study participation and 45 met all of the inclusion and none of the exclusion criteria and were randomized to treatment. The current reporting period that covers year 3 included the ongoing recruitment, assessment and treatment of soldiers in the study, the implementation of new physiological recording equipment, assessment of additional advertisement campaigns, and ongoing study related activities. During year 3, an additional 100 referrals for treatment have been received, 72 subjects consented to study participation and 39 of those met all of the inclusion and none of the exclusion criteria and were randomized.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2011
Accession Number
ADA555161

Entities

People

  • Gregory Gahm

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Biomedical Research
  • Combat Injuries
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Electronic Mail
  • Health Services
  • Inclusions
  • Information Operations
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Medical Personnel
  • Reliability
  • Therapy
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Virtual Reality

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Clinical Trial Research.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.