Art Therapy and Emotional Well Being in Military Populations With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: PTSD, Military Activity, Post-Traumatic Headache, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Delayed Onset, Sleep Disturbance, Nightmare, Irritable Mood, Anger, Combat and Operational Stress Reaction, Combat Stress Disorders, Military Family, Military Operations, Emotional Regulation, Emotion Processing

In brief

Art therapy is used across the Military Health System for treatment of posttraumatic symptoms, but there is limited research on how art therapy is able to restore emotional expression and regulation in service members. This research hopes to learn about the effects of art therapy on emotional expression and regulation in service members as well as the neurological systems at work. If a participant chooses to be in this study, he or she will attend eleven sessions over a period of six to eight months. The first session will be an interview and self-assessment questionnaires to collect information on a variety of symptoms, experiences, and personality traits, and an MRI scan. During the MRI scan, participants will be asked to perform a task where they will be shown a series of neutral and negative images. The following eight sessions will be one-hour art therapy sessions with a certified art therapist. The tenth session will consist of the same self-assessment questionnaires and another MRI scan. The final session will consist of some of the same questionnaires from the tenth visit, as well as a qualitative interview done virtually three months after the tenth visit.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT05414708

Run by

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

People needed

40

Starts

2022-02-01

Expected to finish

2027-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-01-08

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 64. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• DEERS Eligible
• Active Duty or Veteran separated within the past 10 years
• Significant posttraumatic stress symptoms (score of >/=31 on the PCL-5)

You may not qualify if…

• History of moderate, severe, or penetrating brain injury
• History of psychotic disorder, bipolar disorder, or active suicidal or homicidal ideation
• History of multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease, or Alzheimer's disease
• History of stroke or myocardial infarction
• History of brain tumor
• History of seizures
• Contradictions for MRI (for example, participants will be excluded for pregnancy, metal implants or suspected shrapnel, aneurysm/intracranial clips, cardiac pacemakers or implanted programmable devices or pumps)
• Unable to provide informed consent
• History of previous exposure to art therapy
• Active substance use disorder

Where it is running

• National Intrepid Center of Excellence — Bethesda, Maryland, United States (enrolling)
• ISC at Fort Belvoir — Fort Belvoir, Virginia, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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