Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression (MERA)
PTSD is one of the most prevalent mental health conditions affecting Veterans who have served since 9/11. Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report difficulty controlling impulsive aggression (IA). An inability to manage one's emotions (emotion dysregulation) is an underlying mechanism of IA. Reducing IA and increasing use of PTSD evidence-based psychotherapies are two critical missions for the Veterans Health Administration. The proposed research supports these missions by comparing a 3- session emotion regulation treatment (Manage Emotions to Reduce Aggression) to a control group in order to determine if MERA can reduce IA and prepare Veterans for PTSD treatment. By enhancing Veterans' abilities to cope with trauma-related emotions and feel equipped to initiate PTSD treatments, this research aims to help Veterans decrease IA and ultimately recover from PTSD.
Conditions:
🦠 Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic 🦠 Aggression 🦠 Emotion Regulation
🗓️ Study Start (Actual) 3 January 2022
🗓️ Primary Completion (Estimated) 31 December 2025
✅ Study Completion (Estimated) 30 June 2026
👥 Enrollment (Estimated) 204
🔬 Study Type INTERVENTIONAL
📊 Phase NA
Locations:
📍 Tampa, Florida, United States
📍 Houston, Texas, United States

📋 Eligibility Criteria

Description

    Inclusion Criteria:

    • 1. Male and female Veterans who deployed to combat zones since 9/11.
    • 2. Currently meets criteria for full or subthreshold PTSD, determined by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5
    • 3. Engaged in at least 3 self-reported aggressive acts (e.g., yelling, throwing objects, hitting objects/people) in the last month, measured by the Overt Aggression Scale
    • 4. Impulsive aggression is his/her primary form of aggression, determined by the Impulsive Premeditated Aggression Scale
    • 5. Each Veteran must allow an independent aggression rater (live-in partner, family member, or roommate above 18 years of age)\] verify the number of aggressive acts, using the Overt Aggression Scale.
    • 6. Agreement not to change psychotropic medications through the duration of the study.

    Exclusion Criteria:

    • 1. Currently suicidal with intent of self-harm in the last week.
    • 2. Currently homicidal with plans to hurt a specific person.
    • 3. Unable to complete self-report measures.
    • 4. Meets diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder.
    • 5. Had a psychotropic medication change within 4 weeks prior to the baseline assessment. Veterans receiving general mental health services or engaging in usual care will be allowed to participate.
Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 64 Years (ADULT)
Sexes Eligible for Study: ALL
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

🗓️ Study Record Dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Registration Dates

  • First Submitted 8 March 2021
  • First Submitted that Met QC Criteria 8 March 2021
  • First Posted 11 March 2021

Study Record Updates

  • Last Update Submitted that Met QC Criteria 4 January 2024
  • Last Update Posted 5 January 2024
  • Last Verified January 2024