Can community health workers treat PTSD in pregnancy? new trial aims to find out
NCT ID NCT05486793
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a short, evidence-based therapy for PTSD (Written Exposure Therapy) can be effectively delivered by community health workers to pregnant women. The goal is to make treatment more accessible and reduce PTSD symptoms during pregnancy and after childbirth. About 240 pregnant women with PTSD will be randomly assigned to receive therapy from either a community health worker or a mental health clinician.
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
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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
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About 240 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 50 years
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: * Pregnant woman receiving prenatal care at BMC Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) Department * Presenting for prenatal care prior to gestational age of 28 weeks * Meet diagnostic or subthreshold criteria (i.e., endorsement of 3 out of the 4 symptom clusters) for PTSD on the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) Exclusion Criteria: * Clinician judgment that the patient is not appropriate for outpatient level care (i.e., patient needs detox, inpatient, or residential treatment) * Current psychosis or unstable bipolar disorder diagnosis (determined via clinician-administered interview) * Currently receiving exposure-based PTSD treatment (e.g., WET, prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy) elsewhere * Current incarceration. Incarcerated individuals are only seen at BMC for obstetrical care and are not allowed to receive mental health care outside of their correctional facility
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Boston Medical Center and remote
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02118, United States
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