Empowering Perinatal Adolescents Through Writing
Feasibility and Preliminary Effectiveness of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for Pregnant or Postpartum Adolescents and Youth With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in an Open Pilot Trial
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
30 participants
Mar 26, 2025
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
This is a feasibility and acceptability study of Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD in pregnant and postpartum adolescents and youth with PTSD.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria8
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
- Have been referred by a clinician to the study or receiving standard of care treatment for pregnancy or post-partum follow-up
- Aged 15-24 at time of screening
- Either have Gestational age \>12 weeks or be \<1 year postpartum at time of screening
- Able and willing to provide informed consent if 18 years of age or above or the legal guardian must be able and willing to provide informed consent if participant is less than 18 years of age and participant willing and able to provide assent if less than 18 years of age
- Able to read, write and speak in English and Spanish; if the participant is under age 18, parents must be able to understand spoken or written English or Spanish.
- Have the ability to complete clinical evaluations and self-report measures.
- Meet diagnostic or subthreshold criteria for PTSD.
Exclusion Criteria5
- Have any condition for which, in the opinion of the investigator or designee, study participation would not be in their best interest (including but not limited to cognitive impairment, unstable general medical condition, intoxication, active psychosis) or that could prevent, limit, or confound the protocol-specified assessments.
- Have current mania, hypomania, or psychosis
- Be at serious suicidal risk that cannot be managed in the outpatient setting
- Pervasive or intellectual developmental disorder requiring substantial or very substantial support.
- Currently receiving or having received course of exposure-based therapy (e.g. WET, PE, CPT, or TF-CBT) in the past six months
Interventions
WET may be an optimal treatment for pregnant or postpartum adolescents and youth with PTSD in a low resource setting. WET addresses many of the barriers above. It is delivered in just 5 sessions, with no homework, and may promote a sense of self-efficacy in adolescents and youth due to the nature of writing assignments and brief therapist involvement. It is attractive in resource-poor settings because just 10-15 min of direct therapist time per follow-up session is needed.
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
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NCT06771817