CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT03759171Updated Nov 29, 2018

Music-instruction Intervention for Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

An interventional study of Guitars for Vets Intervention in Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic and Depression, sponsored by Medical College of Wisconsin. Completed. Open to participants aged 21 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-11-29.

Sponsored by Medical College of Wisconsin · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 8 years 1 month after the study started (first participant enrolled Oct 2010, registered Nov 2018).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
21 Years and older
Sex
All
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Study summary

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and potential effectiveness of an active, music-instruction intervention in improving psychological health and social functioning among Veterans suffering from moderate to severe Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Read the detailed description

The study was designed as a prospective, delayed-entry randomized pilot trial. Regression-adjusted difference in means were used to examine the intervention's effectiveness with respect to PTSD symptomatology (primary outcome) as well as depression, perceptions of cognitive failures, social functioning and isolation, and health-related quality of life (secondary outcomes).

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Conditions studied

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Depression
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In context

Stress Disorders, Traumatic

1,147 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress Disorders, Traumatic; 108 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 60 across 908 interventional studies indexed under Stress Disorders, Traumatic.

Browse Stress Disorders, Traumatic studies →

Lead sponsor

Medical College of Wisconsin is the lead sponsor of 540 studies on the registry; 120 are open to participants now.

Of its 71 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 56 (79%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Veterans who (i) had at least one visit for mental health treatment in the prior six months with a primary diagnosis of PTSD (ICD9CM 309.81-83) and (ii) exhibited moderate to severe PTSD symptoms at the time of enrollment (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist >=50)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Veterans who were currently participating in an intense psychotherapy program (residential or outpatient)
  • Veterans who were already receiving guitar lessons from a Guitars for Vets volunteer
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Crossover assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
40 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Immediate Entry Group

    Following the baseline interview, veterans randomized to the immediate entry group directly engaged in the Guitars for Vets Intervention and were interviewed at the end of the intervention period, roughly 6 weeks later. The intervention content and duration (6 weeks) was the same across both groups.

    Other: Guitars for Vets Intervention

  • Experimental
    Delayed Entry Group

    Those randomized to the delayed entry group had their baseline interview repeated at the end of the delayed entry period (4 weeks) prior to receiving the 6-week Guitars for Vets Intervention as well as after intervention completion. The intervention content and duration (6 weeks) was the same across both groups.

    Other: Guitars for Vets Intervention

Interventions

  • OtherGuitars for Vets Intervention

    This was an active intervention providing veterans with an acoustic guitar, guitar pick, tuning instruments, a music book, practice CDs, and individual and group sessions of music instruction during a 6-week intervention period. Six tailored 1-hour individual guitar instruction sessions were scheduled (1 session per week). In addition to the 6 tailored individual lessons, the intervention provided 3 group sessions. Veterans were given a guitar that they could keep upon completion of the program. The same instructor was assigned to a subject for the duration of the study, and group sessions were supervised by the Education Director of Guitars for Vets.

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms

    Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms as measured by the PTSD Checklist Civilian (PCLC), a self-report scale that measures PTSD presence and severity. The 17 items correspond to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual DSM-IV symptoms of PTSD. The level of distress produced by each symptom is rated from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely). A score \>50 on this measure is considered clinically significant (maximum score = 85).

    Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depression

    Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), a 21-item self-report scale measuring the presence and severity of depressive symptoms over the two weeks preceding test administration. Each answer ranges in score from 0-3. Total scores indicate minimal (0-13), mild (14-19), moderate (20-28), and severe (29-63; maximum = 63) levels of reported depression.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  2. Perceptions of Cognitive Failures

    The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ) was used as a self-reported measure of everyday cognitive lapses for perception, memory, and motor function, such as forgetting appointments or having word finding difficulty. Total scores range from 0 to 100 with higher numbers indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  3. Social Functioning

    The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale was administered to assess subjective feelings of social isolation. This is a 20-item scale summed to give a total score ranging from 0-60 with higher numbers indicating worse outcomes.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

  4. Health-Related Quality of Life

    The European Quality of Life (EuroQoL) Scale, a validated preference-based scale for which population norms are available in the US and elsewhere, was used as the global evaluation of veteran's health-related quality of life. The 5-item EuroQoL measure combines data on activity restrictions (ADL, IADL limitations), limitations in participation (usual major activity and other social activities) and self- perceived health status (excellent, good, fair or poor) to measure one's overall satisfaction with health and well-being. Scores range from -0.594 to 1.000, higher values represent better outcomes.

    Time frame: 6 weeks

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Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

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References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 29, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03759171
Lead sponsor
Medical College of Wisconsin
Collaborators
VA Office of Research and Development, Milwaukee VA Medical Center
Responsible party
Liliana Pezzin (Professor of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 29, 2018
Start date
Oct 1, 2010
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2011
Completion
Sep 30, 2011
Last update
Nov 29, 2018

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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