Mindfulness for Anger in Veterans With PTSD

Summary

Research has consistently shown that Veterans with PTSD are more likely to experience higher levels of anger and commit aggressive acts compared to Veterans without PTSD. Given the significant negative impact that anger and aggression can have on the lives of Veterans, their families, and society at large, there is a great need to examine novel interventions that could decrease anger and aggression risk with this population. Mindfulness may be one such technique, given its effectiveness in assisting individuals in regulating difficult emotions and in decreasing physiological reactivity, which have both been implicated in PTSD and aggression perpetration. Findings showing that a mindfulness intervention is effective in reducing anger and aggressive behavior would be relevant for Veterans with PTSD experiencing such difficulties and would help prevent the detrimental consequences that can come from anger and aggression among these individuals.

Conditions

• Anger
• Aggression

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a group-based intervention in which participants are taught different mindfulness meditation practices, including body scan (focusing attention to different areas of the body in sequence), sitting meditation (focusing attention to one's breathing), and Hatha yoga postures (focusing attention to different body sensations during gentle stretching). Participants also are taught how to practice mindfulness while engaging in ordinary activities including walking, standing, and eating. MBSR consists of 8, two-hour weekly sessions and will be delivered in group format. MBSR groups will be delivered virtually.

BEHAVIORAL

Trauma Recovery Education Class

Trauma Recovery Education Class (TREC): TREC is a group based treatment that focuses on providing information on PTSD and traumatic reactions. TREC provides psycho-education to Veterans on PTSD, including common reactions to trauma and the role of avoidance, common problems associated with PTSD, as well as common barriers to care (e.g., stigma, maladaptive beliefs, fear). Additional content focuses on problem identification and goal setting, discussion of current problems and life issues, and treatment planning. TREC consists of 8, one-hour weekly sessions. TREC groups will be delivered virtually.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Lorig Kachadourian, PhD MA · VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-12-01

Primary Completion

2023-01-31

Completion

2023-01-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations