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Evaluation ViewAttendees 3

Military and Veterans Psychology
Symposia

Symposium 38 - Leveraging Technology to Support PTSD Assessment and Intervention for Veteran Populations

Friday, November 15, 2024
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
Location: Franklin 1, Level 4, Downtown Marriott
CE: 1.5

Keywords: PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), Veterans, Technology / Mobile Health
Level of Familiarity: Moderate
Recommended Readings: Morland, L. A., Wells, S. Y., Glassman, L. H., Greene, C. J., Hoffman, J. E., & Rosen, C. S. (2020). Advances in PTSD Treatment Delivery: Review of Findings and Clinical Considerations for the Use of Telehealth Interventions for PTSD. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 7(3), 221–241. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-020-00215-x,   Kuhn, E., & Owen, J. E. (2020). Advances in PTSD Treatment Delivery: the Role of Digital Technology in PTSD Treatment. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 7(2), 88–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-020-00207-x,   Saraiya, T. C., Jarnecke, A. M., Rothbaum, A. O., Wangelin, B., McTeague, L. M., Acierno, R., Brown, D. G., Bristol, E., Feigl, H., Reese, M., Cobb, A. R., Harley, B., Adams, R. J., & Back, S. E. (2022). Technology-enhanced in vivo exposures in Prolonged Exposure for PTSD: A pilot randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 156, 467–475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.10.056,   Bourla, A., Mouchabac, S., El Hage, W., & Ferreri, F. (2018). e-PTSD: an overview on how new technologies can improve prediction and assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). European journal of psychotraumatology, 9(sup1), 1424448. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2018.1424448,   Malgaroli, M., Hull, T. D., & Schultebraucks, K. (2021). Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence for PTSD: Improving Treatment Delivery Through Personalization. Psychiatric Annals, 51(1), 21–26. https://doi.org/10.3928/00485713-20201203-01

The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is particularly high among veteran populations, with estimated rates of current and lifetime PTSD around 5% and 9%, respectively (Wisco et al., 2022). While around 40% of veterans endorse experiencing a need for mental healthcare, less than half of these veterans report receiving mental healthcare services (NASEM, 2018). In the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the use of technology to deliver and support mental healthcare for veteran populations (NASEM, 2018). In particular, prior work has illustrated the use of technology to effectively deliver PTSD assessment and intervention to veteran populations (Brenner et al., 2021; Jones et al., 2022; Kuhn et al., 2014; Litwack et al., 2014; Morland et al., 2020; Pittman et al., 2017; Resnik et al., 2023). In addition to providing greater access to care, a growing body of research has indicated that technology can be used to assist in tailoring mental healthcare for veterans with PTSD (Norrholm & Jovanovic, 2010; Van Gelderen et al., 2018; Van Veelen et al., 2021). Compared to traditional care, tailored mental healthcare for individuals experiencing PTSD has been associated with key benefits (Price et al., 2018; Stirman et al., 2021), including improvements in motivation to engage in treatment (Tielman et al., 2019) and greater symptom reduction (Hoeboer et al., 2021), for example. More work is ultimately needed to understand how technology can be used to tailor assessment and intervention for veterans with PTSD. In line with the theme of the conference, the following presentations will showcase the use of innovative technologies to advance the tailoring and optimization of evidence-based assessment and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for veterans experiencing PTSD. Our first presenter will explore the use of machine learning and actigraphy data from wearable smartwatches to support clinical assessment of PTSD. Our second presenter will discuss the use of artificial intelligence to support the identification of PTSD related to direct and indirect exposure to trauma in male and female veterans. Our third presenter will examine veteran perceptions of technology-enabled modalities of care within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system. Our fourth presenter will discuss the development of a novel recommendation system that uses machine learning to personalize the delivery of cognitive processing therapy to veterans with PTSD. Our fifth presenter will explore the use of a mobile application that passively obtains physiological data from veterans during prolonged exposure therapy to help with patient-clinician communication, patient engagement, and clinical decision-making. Each of these presentations will feature an in-depth discussion of the considerations and limitations of the discussed technologies, with particular attention paid to barriers and facilitators associated with dissemination and implementation. Dr. Lindsey Zimmerman, an expert in implementation science related to mental healthcare for veterans with PTSD, will discuss the presented findings, extant gaps in current research, and future directions for the use of technology to optimize assessment and treatment for veterans with PTSD.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Describe perceptions of technology-enhanced modalities of care for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
  2. Explain at least one barrier to the use of technology to support posttraumatic stress disorder assessment and intervention for veterans.
  3. Identify at least three ways that technology can help tailor assessment and treatment for veterans experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder.
  4. Explain two different methods of passive sensing and how they can contribute to assessment and intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder.
  5. Describe at least one example of technology being used to support clinicians in treating veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Presentations:

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 38) Using Actigraphy and Machine Learning to Predict PTSD Diagnosis in Veterans

    Speaker: Katherine Wislocki, M.A. (she/her/hers) – University of California, Irvine

    Co-author: Ghazal Naderi, B.A. – University of California, Irvine

    Co-author: Alyson Zalta, PhD – University of California, Irvine

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 38) Artificial Intelligence's Detection of PTSD, Treatment Recommendations, and Public Stigma for Veterans

    Speaker: Sean Lauderdale, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – University of Houston – Clear Lake

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 38) Veteran Preferences Towards Tech-based Modalities of PTSD Care

    Speaker: Nadia Malek, B.A. (she/her/hers) – National Center for PTSD

    Co-author: Eve A. Rosenfeld, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – National Center for PTSD

    Co-author: Casey Straud, PsyD – University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

    Co-author: Craig Rosen, PhD – National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division

    Co-author: Carmen McLean, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – National Center for PTSD

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 38) Following Netflix' Example: How a Recommendation System Could Help Improve PTSD Treatment Outcomes

    Speaker: Philip Held, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Rush University Medical Center

  • 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM EST
    (SYM 38) Prolonged Exposure Collective Sensing System: Pilot Data on a Ubiquitous Computing System That Facilitates Communication About Between-session Exposures and Enhances Patient Engagement

    Speaker: Andrew M. Sherrill, Ph.D. (he/him/his) – Emory University

    Co-author: Myeonghan Ryu, MS (he/him/his) – Georgia Institute of Technology

    Co-author: Rosa Arriaga, PhD – Georgia Institute of Technology

    Co-author: Jyoti Alaparthi, BS Candidate (she/her/hers) – Emory University

    Co-author: Sheila Rauch, ABPP, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Emory University SOM/Atlanta VAMC

    Co-author: Barbara O. Rothbaum, ABPP, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) – Emory University School of Medicine