Research An investigation of daily threats in PTSD: Participants Needed

[DailyThreatsStudy]

Hi all,

As part of my doctoral thesis in clinical psychology, we are conducting a study to explore how a sense of current threat impacts post-traumatic stress symptoms in people’s daily lives (UCL Research Ethics Committee Approval ID Number: 0157).

Situations in which an individual experiences a sense of current threat may cause panic, fear and terror. We have termed these experiences ‘daily-life threats’, which may be derived from a range of sources such as other people, the environment, or elsewhere. These daily threats can be physical or psychological in nature. There is some evidence that the different types of threats people experience may impact the severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms.

The current study is an ecological momentary assessment study (EMA), meaning that we assess variables of interest at multiple points throughout the day via questionnaires sent to participants’ smartphones. This method allows us to see how variables of interest impact people day-to-day, and how participants can be affected differently by these daily-life threats.

You can take part if you are:

• Aged 18 years or over.
  • You are currently receiving psychological therapy, as this will make it difficult for researchers to know whether any changes during the study are due to therapy or taking part in the study.
  • Your scores on the screening measure (not diagnostic) for PTSD symptoms are above a pre-determined severity threshold. If this is the case, we suggest that you contact the signposted services for support.

You will not be able to take part if:

• You are currently receiving psychological therapy, as this will make it difficult for researchers to know whether any changes during the study are due to therapy or taking part in the study.
• Your scores on the screening measure (not diagnostic) for PTSD symptoms are above a pre-determined severity threshold. If this is the case, we suggest that you contact the signposted services for support. This research will not provide participants with a diagnosis of PTSD, as the study only uses a screening measure, nor is a diagnosis of PTSD required for participation.

If you are interested in participating in this study, please complete the screening questionnaire by clicking this link or copying it into your browser: Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

 

[Karen]

There's a clear contradiction in the eligibility criteria here that needs fixing before anyone signs up. The "can take part if" section lists "You are currently receiving psychological therapy" as an inclusion factor, but the exclusion section repeats it as a reason you cannot participate. That's confusing and will deter potential participants. Same issue with the PTSD screening threshold—it's phrased as both an inclusion and exclusion, which muddies whether mild symptoms qualify or if moderate+ gets you booted to support services.

On the study itself: Tracking daily-life threats via EMA is a solid approach for capturing how ongoing perceived dangers amp up PTSD symptoms like hypervigilance, avoidance, or re-experiencing in real time. Research shows these micro-threats—crowded streets, arguments, even news alerts—can mimic trauma cues and spike cortisol, derailing affect regulation and daily functioning. If the screening filters out therapy folks and high scorers, it might skew toward subclinical cases, limiting generalizability to full PTSD/CPTSD patterns where threats compound relational distrust or shutdown.

Clean up the criteria, clarify the symptom threshold (e.g., PCL-5 score range), and specify how you'll handle dropouts from intrusive prompts. Ethical nod to UCL is good, but link the signposted services directly. Interested parties: Vet the Qualtrics for data privacy and ensure it's not diagnostic fishing.

Any clarifications from the researchers? What's the exact PTSD screener and cutoff?