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Could a simple therapy rebuild social bonds in veterans?

NCT ID NCT07697001

Symptom relief Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 10, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether behavioral activation therapy can help veterans who struggle with social disconnection and anhedonia. Participants receive either behavioral activation or supportive care therapy over several weeks. The goal is to see if the therapy improves social connectedness, reduces social impairment, and changes brain activity related to social reward.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Behavioral activation therapy
What this could lead to
If successful, this could provide a low-burden therapy to help veterans feel more socially connected and engaged.
What could go wrong
This is a Phase 2 trial with a moderate sample size, so results may not be definitive. The therapy may not outperform supportive care.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 136 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Jan 2027

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Dec 2030

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

A government agency

The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * being a Veteran * having moderate to high levels of social disconnection (Social Connectedness Scale-Revised/SCS-R score \< 90) * having moderate to high levels of social functioning impairments (Sheehan Disability Scale/SDS-social domain score \>=5) * having moderate to high levels of social anhedonia (Specific Loss of Interest and Pleasure Scale/SLIPS score \>= 6) Exclusion Criteria: * lifetime history of psychotic or bipolar disorder * neurological conditions, neurodevelopmental disorders, or sensory deficits that may impact cognitive functioning to preclude understanding/completion of study procedure * regular use of certain psychotropic medications that may significantly impact goal-directed performance on the task (i.e., benzodiazepines, sedative hypnotics, and opioid analgesics); pre-existing stable doses of psychotropic medications, such as SSRIs, will be allowed (if same regimen has been taken for at least 30 days) * current severe alcohol or substance use disorders (AUD/SUD) necessitating prioritization of substance use treatment * suicidal or homicidal ideation within the past month necessitating urgent higher-level care * concurrent individual cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy specifically targeting depression, anhedonia, and/or PTSD

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Anhedonia Social Adjustment

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Social anhedonia Social function impairment

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA

    San Diego, California, 92161-0002, United States