PTSD therapy combined with intensive smoking-cessation support for veterans who smoke
Official title: CPT-SMART for Treatment of PTSD and Cigarette Smoking
Funded at Durham VA Medical Center · NIH-11188950 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project combines proven PTSD therapy with extra smoking-cessation counseling, nicotine support, and rewards-based coaching to help Veterans with PTSD quit cigarettes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Durham VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2019 |
| Project end | September 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01CX001757-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11188950 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans who have posttraumatic stress disorder, currently smoke cigarettes, and are willing to engage in both PTSD therapy and intensive smoking-cessation treatment.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not have PTSD, who do not smoke, or who are unwilling to attend the VA sessions or try behavioral/medication quitting strategies are unlikely to benefit from this program.
What this research studies
If you have PTSD and smoke, researchers will offer Cognitive Processing Therapy together with guideline-based smoking counseling, nicotine cessation aids, and contingency management (rewards for staying smoke-free). The program uses a treatment manual that merges PTSD-focused therapy and intensive smoking-cessation steps and is delivered at the VA medical center. Participants will be followed over time to track quitting, relapse triggers, and PTSD symptoms. The approach aims to help with both PTSD-related distress and smoking behavior in the same program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help more Veterans with PTSD stop smoking and may also reduce PTSD-related symptoms linked to relapse.
How similar studies have gone: Cognitive Processing Therapy and contingency management have each shown benefits in prior work, and early feasibility data suggest combining them is promising though the integrated approach is still being tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Durham VA Medical Center
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dedert, Eric a — Durham VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Dedert, Eric a
Related research
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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.