Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Improve Social Support for Veterans with PTSD

患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人通常有严重的人际关系问题，来自 家人、伴侣和同伴。人与人之间的问题导致不能很好地重新融入社会，这反过来又渗透到 所有方面的功能，并与更多的自杀意念有关。这些问题很快就会出现， 一项研究表明，在六个月内自我报告的人际冲突的比率增加了四倍 从部署返回。患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人报告称，他们在人际关系、婚姻压力、 亲密关系困难，以及育儿问题。社会支持不足是导致身体健康状况不佳的关键因素， 情绪功能，并增加死亡风险。鉴于社会关系在缓冲中的重要性 针对创伤后应激障碍患者的负面后果和自杀意念，迫切需要更多 研究和治疗发展，以改善这些退伍军人的社会功能。拟议中的项目 将重点评估一种改善社会关系和社会支持的创新疗法 在患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人中。 本项目的目标是评估接受和承诺疗法的有效性，以改善 为患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人提供社会支持(ACT-SS)，这是一种专注于帮助患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人 通过针对不良适应模式增加与家庭关系、伴侣和同龄人的社会支持 人际关系困难、疏远他人、易怒和回避社交场合。 ACT-SS为患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人提供了更适应的应对技能(即接纳和正念， 关注基于价值观的生活)，以改善社会关系、社会支持，并帮助管理与创伤后应激障碍相关的问题 苦恼。我们的ACT-SS试验数据表明，ACT-SS可以改善社会关系，减少 创伤后应激障碍症状，初步数据显示ACT-SS显著改善了 社会功能结果与以当下为中心的治疗(PCT)的比较。 本研究的主要目的是进行ACT-SS(n=75)与PCT的两点随机对照试验 (n=75)，这是一种治疗社会支持困难的常见方法。研究结果将包括社会保障措施 支持、社会关系、生活质量和创伤后应激障碍症状。这项提议，得到了我们承诺的支持 试点数据，代表着检查ACT-SS潜在疗效的重要一步，包括社会 退伍军人创伤后应激障碍患者的功能和生活质量如果是积极的，这项研究的结果可能会提供一个新的 改善患有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人重新融入社会的治疗方法。

Veterans with PTSD often have substantial interpersonal problems and low perceived social support from family, partners, and peers. Interpersonal problems result in poor social reintegration, which in turn permeates all aspects of their functioning and is associated with greater suicidal ideation. The problems emerge rapidly, with one study showing a fourfold increase in rates of self-reported interpersonal conflict within six months of returning from deployment. Veterans with PTSD report considerable avoidance in relationships, marital stress, intimacy difficulties, and parenting problems. Low social support is a key factor related to poor physical health, emotional functioning, and increased mortality risk. Given the importance of social relationships in buffering against negative outcomes and suicidal ideation for persons with PTSD, there is a strong need for more research and treatment development to improve the social functioning of these Veterans. The proposed project will focus on evaluating an innovative treatment for improving the social relationships and social support among Veterans with PTSD. The goal of this project is to evaluate the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Improve Social Support for Veterans with PTSD (ACT-SS), a treatment focused on helping Veterans with PTSD to increase social support with family relationships, partners, and peers by targeting maladaptive patterns of interpersonal difficulties, feelings of detachment from others, irritability, and avoidance of social situations. ACT-SS provides Veterans with PTSD with more adaptive coping skills (i.e., acceptance and mindfulness, focus on values-based living) to improve social relationships, social support, and help manage PTSD-related distress. Our pilot data of ACT-SS indicates that ACT-SS results in improved social relationships and reduced PTSD symptoms, with preliminary data showing that ACT-SS results in significantly better improvement in social functioning outcomes compared to Present-Centered Therapy (PCT). The primary aim of this study is to conduct a two-site randomized controlled trial of ACT-SS (n=75) vs. PCT (n=75), a common treatment for social support difficulties. Study outcomes will include measures of social support, social relationships, quality of life, and PTSD symptoms. This proposal, supported by our promising pilot data, represents an important step in examining the potential efficacy of ACT-SS, including social functioning and quality of life in Veterans with PTSD. If positive, results from this study may provide a new treatment approach for improving the social reintegration of Veterans with PTSD.