TraumaRelief App: A Pilot RCT Assessing Feasibility and Acceptability
The world experiences a high rate of traumatic events. Even if PTSD is not diagnosed, traumatic events can significantly affect people's lives. Traditional face-to-face therapies often face challenges, such as financial constraints, expensive therapy sessions, time restrictions, fear of stigma, and difficulties in accessing clinical psychologists. These challenges motivated us to develop new methods. Particularly in Turkey, there is neither sufficient infrastructure nor existing applications dedicated to addressing trauma-related complications. The development of the 'TraumaRelief' app is a pioneering initiative aimed at bridging this gap, targeting the resolution of these prevalent issues by introducing an accessible, innovative solution. The newly developed "TraumaRelief" app aims to provide solutions to these issues. This app contains eight modules: online video talks, psychoeducation, coping with symptoms, mindfulness-based relaxation exercises, imagery exposure, CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)-based daily exercises, therapist messaging, emergency contact access. The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of this newly developed application through a pilot randomized controlled trial.
- EligibilityCriteria: Inclusion Criteria:  Minimum Education Level: Participants are required to have at least a primary school education to ensure comprehension of the study materials. Smartphone Ownership Regular Smartphone Access PTSD Diagnosis Risk: Participants must have a PCL-5 score at or above the diagnostic threshold of 31, indicative of PTSD.  Exclusion Criteria:  Risk of Suicide Neurological or Psychiatric Conditions: Participants should not have neurological or psychiatric conditions that would impede the use of the "TraumaRelief" mobile application. Current Medication Use: Participants who are on psychotropic medications that could influence the study's outcomes will be excluded to prevent interactions with the intervention. - HealthyVolunteers: No - Gender: All - GenderBased: Yes - GenderDescription: Participants of any gender identity are eligible to enroll in this study, reflecting our commitment to inclusivity and recognition of the diversity of gender experiences. - MinimumAge: 18 Years - MaximumAge: 65 Years - StdAgeList: Adult, Older Adult