An interventional study of Structured Debriefing in Mental Health and Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic, sponsored by University Hospital, Aachen. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Germany. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-26.
Sponsored by University Hospital, Aachen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is a serious emergency. In many areas, trained volunteers are alerted by a smartphone app to help before emergency services arrive. While this can save lives, these situations can also be emotionally stressful for the volunteers. This study looks at how these experiences affect volunteer first responders and how they cope with them. It also examines whether a structured follow-up conversation after an event can help reduce stress.
People who respond to a cardiac arrest alert can take part in the study. Participants will answer short questionnaires about their well-being about four weeks and ten weeks after the event. Some participants will also be offered a guided conversation to talk about their experience, while others will not.
The researchers will compare both groups to see if the conversation helps reduce stress over time. The study will also explore which factors may increase or reduce emotional burden.
Participants can stop answering the questionnaires at any time. If signs of increased stress are identified, support options are available. With consent, the study team may contact participants to offer further information and help connect them with support services.
The results of this study may help improve support for volunteer first responders in the future.
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) remains a major cause of mortality worldwide. Early initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders is a key determinant of survival. To improve response times, many regions have implemented smartphone-based alerting systems that notify nearby volunteer first responders of suspected cardiac arrest events.
While these systems have demonstrated clinical benefits, the psychological impact on volunteer responders is not yet fully understood. Responding to OHCA incidents may involve exposure to emotionally challenging situations, including unsuccessful resuscitation attempts or distressing scene conditions. At the same time, engagement in such life-saving efforts may also be associated with positive psychological effects, such as a sense of meaning or competence. A better understanding of both burden and resilience factors is needed to optimize support strategies for this population.
The BRAVE study (Burden and Resilience After Volunteer Engagement) is designed to investigate the psychological impact of smartphone-based OHCA alerts on volunteer first responders and to evaluate whether a structured post-event debriefing intervention can improve psychological outcomes.
Participants are recruited via the Corhelper smartphone application, which is routinely used to alert volunteer responders. After completing a routine post-event questionnaire, responders may indicate their interest in being contacted about study participation. Only individuals who provide explicit consent will be contacted by the study team and receive detailed study information.
The study follows a randomized controlled design. Participants are prospectively assigned to either an intervention group receiving a structured debriefing conversation or a control group without this intervention. The allocation ratio is approximately 1:2 due to resource constraints related to the delivery of the intervention.
The structured debriefing consists of a guided conversation conducted by a physician member of the study team, with the option to involve trained personnel from the psychosocial support (PSU) team. The conversation focuses on the reconstruction of the event, clarification of medical and situational aspects, and the individual processing of the experience. The intervention aims to support participants in understanding and coping with the event.
Psychological outcomes are assessed using standardized questionnaires at approximately four weeks (T1) and ten weeks (T2) after the event. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress are measured using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Personality traits are additionally assessed using the Big Five Inventory (BFI).
Exploratory analyses will additionally assess potential correlations between post-traumatic stress symptoms and individual or event-related factors. These may include prior medical background, previous resuscitation experience, pre-existing personal stress, personality traits measured by the BFI, time to arrival at the scene, resuscitation outcome, and the number of first responders present.
To ensure participant safety, a structured support pathway is implemented. Signs of increased psychological distress are identified based on questionnaire results and/or clinical impression during personal interactions. If indicated, participants may receive additional support, including further conversations with the study team, involvement of the PSU team, or referral to specialized mental health services in cooperation with the Alexianer Center for Mental Health. In the case of questionnaire-based assessments, participants may be contacted proactively by the study team if they have previously consented to such contact.
The study aims to generate evidence on the psychological effects of first responder systems and to evaluate the potential benefit of structured debriefing interventions. The results are expected to inform the development of targeted support strategies for volunteer first responders and contribute to the sustainable implementation of smartphone-based alerting systems.
2,682 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; 601 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 75 is close to the median of 69 across 2,196 interventional studies indexed under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic.
Browse Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic studies →University Hospital, Aachen is the lead sponsor of 9 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
Compared within Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Psychological Well-Being. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this group do not receive the structured debriefing intervention. They complete the scheduled follow-up questionnaires at predefined time points without additional structured support.
Participants in this group receive a structured debriefing conversation conducted by a team including physician members of the study team and trained psychosocial support (PSU) personnel. The conversation focuses on reviewing the event, clarifying medical and situational aspects, and supporting the individual processing of the experience.
Behavioral: Structured Debriefing
The intervention consists of a structured debriefing conversation conducted by a team including physician members of the study team and trained psychosocial support (PSU) personnel. The conversation follows a semi-structured format and includes a guided reconstruction of the event, clarification of medical and situational aspects, and support in the individual processing of the experience. The aim is to facilitate understanding, reduce uncertainty, and support coping with the event.
Post-traumatic stress symptom severity measured by the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) total score
Post-traumatic stress symptoms are assessed using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Total scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity.
Time frame: 4 weeks after the event
Change in post-traumatic stress symptom severity measured by PCL-5 total score
Post-traumatic stress symptoms are assessed using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Total scores range from 0 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater symptom severity. Change is calculated as the difference between the 10-week and 4-week scores.
Time frame: From 4 weeks to 10 weeks after the event
Difference in post-traumatic stress symptom severity between debriefing and control groups
PCL-5 total scores and changes in PCL-5 total scores are compared between participants assigned to the structured debriefing group and participants assigned to the control group.
Time frame: 4 weeks and 10 weeks after the event
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared due to the sensitive nature of the psychological and personal data collected in this study and the risk of participant re-identification despite pseudonymization.
Start is estimated for May 2026; primary completion for May 2027, 12 months later.
Of 1,064 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, half reached primary completion within 35 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 53. This study's planned 12 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,092 studies reached it within 34 months; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 53.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in May 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University Hospital, Aachen