Clinical Research Directory

Parenting-STAIR Modular for Military Fathers and OCONUS Families

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a family-based treatment called Parenting-STAIR-Modular (PSTAIR-M) can help military parents recover from trauma, strengthen emotion regulation skills, and improve parent-child relationships. Participants will be trauma-exposed active-duty Service Members (SM) or their spouses who screen positive for PSTD and/or depression, and one identified child (ages 2-10). The main questions it aims to answer are: 1) Does PSTAIR-M reduce parental PTSD and depression symptoms, lower parenting stress, and improve child behavior compared to treatment-as-usual?; and 2) Is PSTAIR-M feasible and acceptable when delivered to military families stationed overseas? Researchers will compare PSTAIR-M to treatment-as-usual (TAU) to see if PSTAIR-M leads to greater improvements in parental PTSD, depression, parenting stress, emotion regulation, child maltreatment risk, and child behavior than usual care. Participants will: 1) attend 12-16 weekly, 1-hour online treatment sessions with their assigned clinicians, 2) complete three 1-hour online assessments administered by research staff, 3) engage with their child in three 15-30-minute online, observed play sessions, 4) have assessments and observed play sessions audio and video recorded.

Common Factors Group Psychotherapy for General Mental Health Concerns

The current research will investigate the impact of general psychotherapy using common factors (i.e., techniques and communication skills that are common to all major forms of psychotherapy) to investigate whether mental health professionals can treat a variety of mental health concerns utilizing this general form of psychotherapy as opposed to specific forms of psychotherapy that may require specific trainings or education.

Psychological Stress and Support Needs of Volunteer First Responders After Smartphone-based Cardiac Arrest Alerts

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.

Development of Follow-up Nursing Consultations for Children at Risk of Post-resuscitation Syndrome

The investigator hypothesize that, during an IPDE consultation 3 months after discharge from critical care, the investigator will identify PTSD in approximately one-third of children, and show an association between this syndrome and quality of life in children admitted to pediatric intensive care.

EEG-based Personalized Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (eTMS) to Treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

This is a randomized, sham controlled study of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) based Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (eTMS) treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The recruitment goal is 110 participants who are United States Military veterans or first responders (e.g., firefighters, police, paramedics, etc.). The Study includes an EEG recording in order to determine the optimal treatment parameters for the eTMS system, followed by 15 in-office visits that take place over 21-28 total days. Two eTMS treatment sessions are administered during each office visit.

Parental Well-being After Childbirth in Switzerland

Improving maternal and child health is a global priority, with increasing emphasis on ensuring women and their families not only survive but also thrive after childbirth. While high-income countries like Switzerland provide strong antenatal and intrapartum care, the quality of postnatal care often lags behind, despite the critical physical, mental, and social needs of the postpartum period. Studies indicate high rates of mental distress, physical pain, and sexual discomfort among mothers, alongside a lack of research on the well-being of co-parents. The main question this cohort study aims to answer is: how do the health and well-being of mothers and co-parents evolve during the first year after childbirth? Participants will complete four online questionnaires: the first within the first few days after birth, followed by additional assessments at 2, 6, and 12 months postpartum. This comprehensive approach seeks to inform policy and improve evidence-based postnatal care practices, benefiting approximately 80,000 families annually in Switzerland.

Evaluation of the Effect of an Emergency Department Information Video on the Risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 30 Days After an Emergency Visit.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder characterized by the re-experiencing of distressing symptoms, avoidance of traumatic memories and physiological hyperarousal in people who have been exposed to a traumatic event. The consequences of PTSD are manifold: financial, quality of life, absenteeism, morbidity, and mortality. An emergency department visit can be a traumatic event and associated with anxiety. Studies have explored the prevalence and factors associated with the occurrence of PTSD among a selected population of patients admitted to the emergency department for either cardiological or traumatological reasons. The prevalence of PTSD at 1 month varied among these populations, from 12% to 25%. Several factors have been described that could be independently associated with an increased risk of developing PTSD: factors linked to the patient himself (basal state and severity of acute pathology) or to the patient pathway (care structure, care modalities, waiting time). Given the serious medical, psycho-social and economic consequences of PTSD, it is important to identify the risk factors that can be controlled during a patient's stay in the emergency department. In 2025, a general information procedure for patients and next of kin will be deployed in three emergency departments. The aim of this procedure is to improve the quality of the information provided to emergency patients, thereby enhancing the experience of patients and those accompanying them. It will consist of video support delivering standardized information to patients from the moment they arrive in the emergency department until they are discharged. These videos will describe the patient's journey through the emergency department. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of this information procedure on the risk of developing PTSD.