Fostering Optimal Regulation of Emotion for Prevention of Secondary Trauma (FOREST)

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

• Ages 18 years and older
• All sexes
• Healthy volunteers accepted
• Adult, Older adult

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

About this study

Official title: Fostering Optimal Regulation of Emotion for Prevention of Secondary Trauma (FOREST): Implementation and Evaluation of a Burnout Prevention Program for Staff in Gun Violence Prevention Programs

Conditions

Burnout, Burnout, Professional, Positive Affect, Depression, Anxiety, Compassion Fatigue

Being tested

FOREST

Keywords

Burnout, Anxiety, Depression, Positive Emotion, Coping, Job Stress

Medical subject headings

Burnout, Psychological, Burnout, Professional, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Compassion Fatigue, Occupational Stress

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

• FORESTBehavioural

  The skill sessions will include didactic content defining the skill, rationale for including the skill in FOREST, and research demonstrating that practice of the skill increases positive emotion. In addition, the group will practice the skill together and will discuss ways to practice the skill at work as well as outside of work. Throughout the month, PEAs will implement the FOREST skill of the month in other existing meetings, check-ins, and team outings.

  Concurrently, a module in UCAN's learning management system (LMS) will become available. The LMS modules will contain skill-related content similar to what is taught in the skill sessions, including a thorough definition of the skill, examples of ways to utilize the skill, a review or summary of the skill, and several knowledge questions to check for comprehension. The LMS content may include text, audio, images, and video components.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

1. Decrease in burnout measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).

   The MBI evaluates burnout severity based on three aspects: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment, with higher scores on the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales, and lower scores on the personal accomplishments subscale, indicating increased levels of burnout. Responses on the scale range from "never" to "every day."

   Measured: 12 months

2. Increase in positive affect measured by PROMIS Short Form v1.0- Positive Affect 15a.

   PROMIS Positive Affect assesses momentary positive or rewarding affective experiences, such as feelings and mood associated with pleasure, joy, elation, contentment, pride, affection, happiness, engagement, and excitement. Responses options range from "Not at all" to "Very much" with higher scores indicate higher levels of positive affect.

   Measured: 12 months

3. Decrease in depression measured by PROMIS Short Form v1.0- Depression 4a.

   PROMIS Depression Bank assesses self-reported negative mood (sadness, guilt), views of self (self-criticism, worthlessness), and social cognition (loneliness, interpersonal alienation), as well as decreased positive affect and engagement (loss of interest, meaning, and purpose). Response options range from "Never" to "Always" with higher scores indicate higher levels of depression.

   Measured: 12 months

4. Decrease in anxiety measured by PROMIS Short Form v1.0- Anxiety 4a.

   PROMIS Anxiety Bank assesses self-reported fear (fearfulness, panic), anxious misery (worry, dread), hyperarousal (tension, nervousness, restlessness), and somatic symptoms related to arousal (racing heart, dizziness). Response options range from "Never" to "Always" with higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety.

   Measured: 12 months

5. Measure of trauma exposure using the Lifetime Events Checklist (LEC).

   The LEC measures trauma exposure, including the ability to differentiate direct experience vs work-related or other secondary exposure through a series of questions about stressful events, with responses including "happened to me," "witnessed it," "learned about it," "not sure," and "doesn't apply," followed up by a question asking if the experience happened as part of one's job. There is no formal scoring protocol or interpretation per se, other than identifying whether a person has experienced one or more of the events listed.

   Measured: 12 months

6. Measure of PTSD symptoms using the the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5).

   The PCL-5 is a 20-item self-report measure that assesses the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. Responses range from "not at all" to "extremely," with higher scores indicating higher occurrence of PTSD symptoms.

   Measured: 12 months

7. Increase in meaning and purpose measured by PROMIS Short Form v1.0- Meaning and Purpose 4a.

   PROMIS Meaning and Purpose Bank assesses one's sense of life having purpose and that there are good reasons for living. Higher scores indicate hopefulness, optimism, goal-directedness, and feelings that one's life is worthy.

   Measured: 12 months

8. Improvement in professional quality of life/well-being measured by Eudaimonic Workplace Well-being Scale (EWWS).

   EWWS measures workplace well-being on both interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions through a series of eight statements where respondents indicate how strongly they relate to those statements. Values range from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree," with higher scores reflecting higher workplace well-being/quality of life.

   Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

1. First posted12 Jul 2023
2. Study start18 Mar 2025
3. Primary completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)
4. Study completion1 Sep 2027 (estimated)

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Other trials for BurnoutStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• More trials run by Northwestern UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
• What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.