Recruiting

DBT-J

Sponsor:

VA Office of Research and Development

Code:

NCT05974553

Conditions

Criminal Behavior

Criminal Recidivism

Psychosocial Functioning

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans

Supportive Group Psychotherapy for Justice-Involved Veterans

Study Details

Brief summary:

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans (DBT-J) is a comprehensive, integrative program distinctively designed to address the range of mental health, substance use, case management, and legal needs of Veterans with current or ongoing criminal justice involvement. Data from two prior clinical trials attest to the program's feasibility and acceptability and preliminarily suggest participation in the program may yield meaningful improvements in risk for criminal behavior and resolution of high-priority case management needs. However, continued research is needed to further investigate the program's efficacy. This Phase III clinical trial aims to investigate the superiority of DBT-J over a supportive group therapy treatment in decreasing risk of future criminal behavior and increasing psychosocial functioning. Secondary and exploratory aims will also investigate superiority of DBT-J in improving secondary treatment targets, potential differential efficacy across special-interest Veteran subgroups, and long-term consequences of program participation.

Conditions

Criminal Behavior

Criminal Recidivism

Psychosocial Functioning

Study ID

NCT05974553

Start date

Jan 1, 2024

Status verified date

Nov, 2025

Completion date

Dec 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Veteran aged 18+
  • Able to provide consent
  • Current or recent history of criminal justice involvement, defined as

  • (a) criminal arrest, order of protection, or incarceration within two years prior to participation and/or
  • (b) supervision by probation or parole at the time of participation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Limited English proficiency
  • Inability to tolerate group therapy format
  • Enrollment in a concurrent clinical trial
  • Current or scheduled enrollment in a DBT- or RNR-based program
  • Prior participation in DBT-J program

Study Design

Enrollment

200 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans

16 weeks of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans

active comparator: Supportive Group Psychotherapy

16 weeks of supportive group psychotherapy for justice-involved Veterans

Interventions

Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans

16 weeks of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Justice-Involved Veterans, including weekly 60-minute group therapy and biweekly 30-minute individual case management

Supportive Group Psychotherapy for Justice-Involved Veterans

16 weeks of clinician-facilitated supportive group psychotherapy for justice-involved Veterans, including weekly 75-minute group psychotherapy (20 hours total intervention). All interventions delivered via telehealth.

Primary outcome measure

  • Level of Service / Case Management Inventory [ Time Frame: Six times over course of 52 weeks ]
  • Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning [ Time Frame: Six times over course of 52 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Emily R Edwards, PhD

(718) 584-9000emily.edwards5@va.gov

Sharon Alter, MA

(718) 584-9000sharon.alter@va.gov

Locations

Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO

Recruiting

Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045-7211

Contacts

Ryan Holliday, PhD

ryan.holliday@va.gov

James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY

Recruiting

The Bronx, New York, United States, 10468-3904

Contacts

Marianne S Goodman, MD

718-584-9000marianne.goodman@va.gov

Angela Abreu

(718) 584-9000Angela.Abreu@va.gov

Principal Investigator:

Emily R Edwards, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Last update posted

Nov 19, 2025

Last verified

Nov, 2025

Keywords

  • Criminal Behavior
  • Criminal Recidivism
  • Psychosocial Functioning
  • Psychotherapy
  • Psychotherapy, Group
  • Case Management
  • Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by VA Office of Research and Development on 2025-11-19.