Sensation Awareness Focused Training for Spouses

More than 5.7 million patients are admitted to intensive care units (ICU) each year in the
United States. The technologically advanced ICU is an unfamiliar frightening environment to
patients and their families. Critical illness is a family crisis. There is strong evidence
that family distress in response to critical illness does not disappear after ICU discharge.
The Society of Critical Care Medicine has identified a cluster of complications that occur in
family members of ICU patients as Post Intensive Care Syndrome-Family (PICS-F). PICS in
family members of adult ICU survivors includes symptoms of ongoing anxiety, depression, and
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Data suggest that 70% of family members have symptoms
of anxiety and 33% have symptoms of depression and PTSD, which can persist for ≥4 years.
Moreover, symptoms of anxiety, depression, and PTSD are higher and persist longer in family
members than in adult ICU survivors. Because PICS-F occurs with greater frequency in spouses
and surrogate health decision-makers, this study will focus on participants whom are spouses
of mechanically ventilated critically ill adults (typically sedated and unable to make health
decisions).

To date, the focus of PICS-F research has been on description, detection, and prevalence of
PICS-F. The approach in the proposed project focuses on prevention of PICS-F using an
innovative rapid stress reduction intervention. The Rosenzweig Center for Rapid Recovery has
recently developed an adaptation of their Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for
psychological trauma and depression, called Sensation Awareness Focused Training (SĀF-T), as
an approach to rapidly eliminate negative biological sensations of stress. SĀF-T is designed
to elicit a calming response; interrupt negative thoughts, negative feelings, and negative
behaviors; and ultimately serve as a self-management stress reduction method for individuals.
Lateral left-right (saccadic) eye movements are used to elicit an orienting response that
activates an investigatory reflex in which first, an alert response occurs and then, a
reflexive pause produces decreased arousal in the face of no threat, which elicits a calming
response that rapidly eliminates negative biological sensations of stress. This response
process is consistent with behavior of interpretation or reaction to challenge in McEwen's
Allostasis Stress Theory. The investigators expect the SĀF-T intervention will enable spouses
to better manage stress and reduce risk of PICS-F.

Sleep deprivation has been self-reported as one of the top stressors of family members of ICU
patients. Sleep adequacy is defined as a combination of three factors: latency (the time it
takes to fall asleep), efficiency ([time spent sleeping ÷ total time in bed] × 100), and
duration of sleep. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for adequate sleep,
persons should fall asleep within 15 minutes, stay asleep for at least 85% of the time they
are in bed, and have a total sleep time of no less than 7 hours. Reasons reported by family
members for sleep deprivation include anxiety, tension, and fear. Sleep deprivation may play
a role in the development of PICS-F. Although anxiety, tension, and fear are to be expected
when a family member is critically ill, acknowledging these feelings and practicing
relaxation techniques can reduce the impact that the feelings have on sleep. Therefore,
management of stress in spouses throughout the daytime may also improve nighttime sleep/rest
and further reduce risk of PICS-F.

Inclusion Criteria:

- spouse of a critically ill, mechanically ventilated patient

- within 36 hours of admission to adult Tampa General Hospital (TGH) ICUs

- understands English

Exclusion Criteria:

- anticipation by the clinical provider of imminent patient death

- spouse does not understand English

- spouse is under the age of 18 years old

- spouse is currently receiving treatment for an existing PICS condition (anxiety,
depression or PTSD).