A Pilot Test of the Relaxation Response Resiliency Program (3RP) in Spanish speaking World Trade Center Disaster Survivors with PTSD

New York University School Of Medicine, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Individuals directly exposed to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center (WTC), including community members who lived or worked in the area, continue to experience significant psychiatric and physical health conditions. At the WTC Environmental Health Center (WTC-EHC), a federally operated program developed to provide care to survivors of the WTC disaster, at least one-third of patients serviced are Hispanic with Spanish as their primary language. This is a particularly vulnerable and underserved population with high rates of mental health symptoms including PTSD (49.7%), depression (62.8%) and anxiety (59.6%). In addition, physical conditions, in particular respiratory symptoms (83.9%), are highly prevalent and comorbid with mental health conditions. The persistence of these conditions underscores the need for new treatments. Unfortunately, there are limited empirically supported treatment protocols in general that are translated and available in Spanish for the Hispanic population. Mind-body treatments in particular are cost-effective, efficacious treatments for mental health and physical symptoms in the short and long-term. The Relaxation Response Resiliency Program (3RP) is one of the leading and innovative mind-body treatments developed at Harvard by Dr. Herbert Benson and colleagues to reduce chronic stress and psychiatric symptoms; however, the treatment protocol is not currently available for Spanish speakers. Thus, we propose to adapt and translate the 3RP for Spanish-speaking WTC survivors and to evaluate whether the treatment is acceptable and feasible for this population. The aims of the current proposal are to (1) adapt and translate the 3RP for Spanish-speaking survivors of the WTC disaster with WTC-related PTSD; (2) conduct a pilot test of the adapted treatment with 20 Spanish-speaking survivors of the WTC disaster with WTC-related PTSD and comorbid respiratory symptoms in order to test the acceptability and feasibility of the treatment protocol in this population, and (3) evaluate the clinical effectivenes of the adapted and translated 3RP for reducing WTC- related PTSD, depression, anxiety and respiratory symptoms and psychosocial functional impairment. We will use multimodal assessments including self-report, structured clinical interviews, and qualitative exit interviews. As such, the proposed study will be tailored to a vulnerable and underserved population and will produce a Spanish version of a novel mind-body treatment. The current proposal is groundbreaking because it will be the first to adapt and translate the 3RP for Spanish speakers. Thus, this study has the potential to impact not only Spanish-speaking WTC survivors with PTSD but also other Spanish-speaking populations with psychiatric and physical conditions (e.g., WTC responders and returning veterans with PTSD).