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Applying Mixed Methods to Identify Links Between PTSD Symptoms, Cannabis Use, and Functional Behaviors With Personalized Feedback Intervention Development

Key facts

Who runs it
VA Office of Research and Development
Where
San Diego, United StatesSee the site
Trial code
Status
Not yet recruiting
People taking part
60 people, planned
Starts
1 Jan 2027
Expected to end
31 Dec 2031
Type of study
Interventional
Treatments tested
  • Personalized Feedback Session (PFS)
Record updated
27 July 2026

Who can take part

Age
18 years to 75 years
Sex
Women and men
Healthy volunteers
Cannot take part

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 12 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • U.S. Military Veterans
  • DSM-5 PTSD diagnosis verified by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5)
  • Cannabis use at least once per week over the past 3 months
  • If on psychotropic medication or in psychotherapy (excluding trauma-focused PTSD therapy; see exclusion criteria), regimen must be stable for =1 month
  • English-speaking and reading
  • Willing and able to use a smartphone and wearable device for 2 weeks

Who cannot take part

  • Veterans currently engaged in evidence-based trauma-focused therapy (e.g., CPT, PE, EMDR), will be excluded to isolate naturalistic symptom variability, as therapy can substantially impact PTSD symptoms; these individuals will be invited to re-contact the study post-treatment for consideration
  • Severe substance use disorder (excluding cannabis), as acute withdrawal or other drug effects could confound data; mild/moderate non-cannabis disorders permitted with monitoring
  • Lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia or other primary psychotic disorder due to potential confounding of EMA responses
  • Cognitive or neurodegenerative disorder impairing ability to use EMA tools (e.g., moderate/severe TBI or dementia)
  • Severe depression or high suicide risk; such Veterans will be referred for treatment and may be re-evaluated once stabilized
  • Lack of smartphone ownership

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 75 years old?

Where in United States

  • VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CASan Diego, United StatesContact: Terrell A Hicks, PhDNot yet recruiting

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

Many Veterans live with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and use cannabis to manage distress, despite limited supportive evidence. Veterans with PTSD who use cannabis often struggle with sleep, physical activity, and social connection, which are factors critical to health and well-being. This project will use smartphones and wearable devices to track symptoms and daily behaviors in real time and provide personalized feedback to help Veterans understand and manage the impact of PTSD and cannabis use in their lives. The study will develop a motivational interviewing-based personalized feedback approach that uses real-time data to help Veterans make data-informed decisions about their mental health, cannabis use, and functional behaviors. Findings will support development of scalable, Veteran-centered tools to promote healthier coping, functional recovery, and quality of life, even if they are not currently in treatment. The goal is to develop supportive, real-time strategies that meet Veterans where they are and promote better outcomes across the VA healthcare system.

The group in the trial

  • Personalized Feedback Session (PFS)Treatment being tested

    30 Veterans will complete baseline assessments, 14 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and wearable monitoring, and receive the refined, second-iteration Personalized Feedback Session (PFS). Participants will complete follow-up assessments at 1- and 3-months post-PFS to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy on PTSD symptoms, cannabis use, and daily functioning.

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Fit questions
Built from NCT07721285, who can take part
Record updated
27 July 2026