Helping Pregnant Women with PTSD with Written Therapy
A Non-Inferiority Trial Testing Delivery of Written Exposure Therapy by Community Health Workers for Treatment of PTSD During Pregnancy
This project offers a new way for pregnant women experiencing PTSD to receive mental health support from community health workers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11139546 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Pregnant women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often face challenges getting the care they need, especially women from low-income and minority groups. This project explores a brief, 5-session therapy called Written Exposure Therapy (WET), which has shown good results in other settings. The idea is to train community health workers (CHWs), who are trusted members of the community, to deliver WET. This approach could help overcome issues like limited access to mental health professionals and concerns about stigma. We are comparing WET delivered by CHWs to another supportive therapy to see if it works just as well for pregnant women.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant women experiencing PTSD, particularly those from low-income and racial and ethnic minority backgrounds who may face barriers to traditional mental health care.
Not a fit: Patients who do not have PTSD or are not pregnant would not be direct participants in this specific intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make effective PTSD treatment more accessible and less stigmatizing for pregnant women, leading to better health outcomes for both mothers and babies.
How similar studies have performed: Written Exposure Therapy (WET) has previously shown to be as effective as other leading PTSD treatments with fewer dropouts, suggesting a strong foundation for this approach.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University Medical Campus — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nillni, Yael I — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Nillni, Yael I
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.