Prolonged Grief and Suicide Among Veterans

This study is enrolling participants by invitation only.
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
University of Colorado, Denver
Information provided by:
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT01247025
First received: November 22, 2010
Last updated: April 11, 2011
Last verified: April 2011

November 22, 2010
April 11, 2011
November 2010
June 2011   (final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Prolonged Grief Disorder- 13 [ Time Frame: At least six months post-bereavement ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Same as current
Complete list of historical versions of study NCT01247025 on ClinicalTrials.gov Archive Site
Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire [ Time Frame: Within past month ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]
Same as current
Not Provided
Not Provided
 
Prolonged Grief and Suicide Among Veterans
Examining Prolonged Grief Disorder and Its Relationship to Self-Directed Violence Among Veterans

The primary research question in this study will ask, among those receiving outpatient mental health services (MHS) at the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS)/Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), how many suffer from Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD)? Here, it is hypothesized that PGD will occur within the sample. A secondary aim of this study will be to investigate how often PGD co-occurs with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or depression. Also, while PGD has been shown to have an effect on self-directed violence (SDV) among civilians (Prigerson, Bridge et al., 1999), no studies yet have examined the relationship between PGD and SDV among Veterans. Therefore, it also is hypothesized that as PGD severity increases among the Veteran sample, risk for SDV will increase as well. Additional research aims also will be addressed in this study. For one, it will be assessed which grief symptoms are most often reported among the Veteran sample. Also, no study has yet to examine if there are neuropsychological differences between PGD and PTSD. Therefore, another research question here is whether PGD indeed is neuropsychologically different from PTSD. Here, the exploratory hypothesis is that PGD sufferers will respond to a measure of multiple components of cognition (e.g., planning, sequencing, concentration, multitasking, and memory efficiency) in a manner that is significantly different from PTSD sufferers.

Not Provided
Observational
Observational Model: Cohort
Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional
Not Provided
Not Provided
Non-Probability Sample

The participants in this observational study will be all individuals willing and eligible among those seeking outpatient mental health services at the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS)/Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). It is expected that 180 participants will be enrolled in an effort to obtain up to 150 completed protocols. Women and minorities will be recruited as a routine part of the study. However, given the participant population within the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS)/Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC), it is expected the majority of participants will be Caucasian men.

  • Prolonged Grief Disorder
  • Suicidality
Other: No intervention
This study will not contain a specific intervention
Veterans
Veterans receiving mental health services at the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS)/Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC)
Intervention: Other: No intervention
Not Provided

*   Includes publications given by the data provider as well as publications identified by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number) in Medline.
 
Enrolling by invitation
150
August 2011
June 2011   (final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 and above
  • Not currently active duty in any branch of the military
  • English-speaking
  • Ability to adequately respond to specific questions regarding the informed consent procedure.
  • Active case in Mental Health Services (MHS) at the Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (ECHCS)/Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Currently active duty in any branch of the military
  • Non-English-speaking
  • Inability to adequately respond to questions regarding the informed consent procedure.
Both
18 Years and older
Yes
Contact information is only displayed when the study is recruiting subjects
United States
 
NCT01247025
jrings1
No
Jeffrey A. Rings/Postdoctoral Psychology Fellow, VA VISN 19 MIRECC
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
University of Colorado, Denver
Principal Investigator: Jeffrey A Rings, PhD VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
Study Chair: Peter M Gutierrez, PhD VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
April 2011

ICMJE     Data element required by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the World Health Organization ICTRP