Randomized Controlled Trial of the Effectiveness of Group Treatment With War-Exposed Bosnian Adolescents

Sponsor

Brigham Young University (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT00480480

Collaborator

UNICEF (Other)

144

Enrollment

Duration (Months)

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

Context: This is the first multi-site randomized controlled study of the effectiveness of a group treatment for war-exposed adolescents delivered in-country within a public school system.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a trauma/grief-focused group treatment program in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and traumatic grief in war-exposed Bosnian youths attending 10 secondary schools located in Central Bosnia.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Depression Grief (Traumatic Grief and Existential Grief)	Behavioral: Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (Group Version)	N/A

Detailed Description

Design: A randomized controlled trial conducted during the 2000-2001 school year, with 4-month follow-up, compared group treatment to a psychoeducation/skill-based school milieu intervention.

Setting and Participants: Students attending 10 Bosnian secondary schools exposed to severe trauma, traumatic loss, and severe adversity, reporting severe persisting symptoms of PTSD, depression, or traumatic grief, and functional impairment.

Intervention: Students were randomly assigned to either 17-session Trauma and Grief Component Therapy (n=71), or a school milieu intervention (n=73), both conducted by trained school counselors.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Actual Enrollment :

144 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

None (Open Label)

Primary Purpose:

Treatment

Official Title:

Long-Term Post- War Adjustment in Bosnian Adolescents, Their Parents and Teachers

Study Start Date :

Sep 1, 2000

Actual Study Completion Date :

Oct 1, 2001

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

UCLA PTSD Reaction Index [Pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at 4-month follow-up]
Depression Self-Rating Scale [Pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 4-month follow-up]
UCLA Grief Scale [Pre-treatment, post-treatment]

Secondary Outcome Measures

Cognitive Distortions Scale [Pre-treatment and post-treatment]
War Exposure Index [Pre-treatment (screening survey)]
Post-War Adversities Scale [Pre-treatment (screening survey)]
Trauma Reminder Screening Scale [Pre-treatment (screening survey)]
Loss Reminder Screening Scale [Pre-treatment (screening survey)]
Youth Outcome Questionnaire (Somatic and Interpersonal Problems Subscales) [Pre- and post-treatment]

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

14 Years to 19 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Yes

Inclusion Criteria:

Significant trauma exposure before, during, or after the war (e.g., serious physical injury, life threat, witnessing death or serious injury, traumatic bereavement);
Significant current distress, especially severe persisting symptoms of PTSD, depression, or traumatic grief;
Significant functional impairment in family or peer relationships and school performance