Recruiting

CPT Integration

Sponsor:

VA Office of Research and Development

Code:

NCT06000475

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 60+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Cognitive Processing Therapy

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) + Memory Support

Study Details

Brief summary:

Several psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have a strong evidence base for their efficacy, but nonresponse rates are high, particularly among older Veterans. Accumulating evidence indicates that memory deficits and poor learning of therapy contents adversely affect psychotherapy treatment response in PTSD. However, limited research has examined methods for increasing learning of therapy contents in psychotherapy for PTSD. The proposed study aims to examine the feasibility of integrating an intervention to increase learning and memory of psychotherapy content into the provision of a widely used psychotherapy, cognitive processing therapy (CPT), for older adults with PTSD. The ultimate goal of this line of research is to develop novel rehabilitation interventions to increase functioning for individuals with PTSD.

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Study ID

NCT06000475

Start date

Oct 15, 2024

Status verified date

Jul, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 31, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 60+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Veterans with DSM-5 diagnoses of PTSD via the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • daily benzodiazepine use (due to memory impairing effects)
  • bipolar or psychotic disorders
  • current suicidal ideation with plan or intent
  • current moderate or severe substance use disorder not in remission for >1 month
  • severe traumatic brain injury
  • a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) indicative of dementia
  • or other disorders that would severely limit study participation

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Standard CPT as described in the treatment manual

experimental: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) + Memory Support

CPT+Memory support will also incorporate frequent and intentional use of strategies to enhance learning and memory of this content.

Interventions

Cognitive Processing Therapy

CPT as described in the treatment manual

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) + Memory Support

CPT+Memory support will also incorporate frequent and intentional use of strategies to enhance learning and memory of this content.

Primary outcome measure

  • PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) [ Time Frame: Through study completion, weeks 12-16 of treatment ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

James C Scott, PhD

(215) 823-5800James.Scott2de50a@va.gov

Richard A Moore

(215) 823-5800richard.moore7@va.gov

Locations

Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

Recruiting

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104-4551

Contacts

Kyong-Mi Chang, MD

(215) 823-5893Kyong-Mi.Chang@va.gov

Richard A Moore

(215) 823-5800richard.moore7@va.gov

Principal Investigator:

James C. Scott, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Last update posted

Jul 30, 2026

Last verified

Jul, 2026

Keywords

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Psychotherapy
  • Memory

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by VA Office of Research and Development on 2026-07-30.