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Clinical effectiveness study of a treatment to prepare for trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies at a veterans affairs specialty posttraumatic stress disorder clinic.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dedert, EA; LoSavio, ST; Wells, SY; Steel, AL; Reinhardt, K; Deming, CA; Ruffin, RA; Berlin, KL; Kimbrel, NA; Wilson, SM; Boeding, SE; Clancy, CP
Published in: Psychol Serv
November 2021

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clinics in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) often provide psychoeducational or skill-building groups to prepare veterans for trauma-focused PTSD treatments. However, there has been limited evaluation of the effectiveness of this phase-based approach for treatment engagement and symptom reduction. Participants included 575 veterans seeking treatment for PTSD whose treatment outcomes were assessed in a VA outpatient PTSD clinic staffed by mental health professionals and trainees. Participants completed self-report measures of baseline characteristics and psychiatric symptoms as part of routine PTSD clinic treatment. We tested the association of preparatory group treatment with engagement in and treatment response to subsequent trauma-focused psychotherapies, cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE), which are designated by VA as evidence-based psychotherapies (EBP). Following participation in preparatory treatments, 94/391 (24%) of veterans engaged in a subsequent trauma-focused EBP (CPT or PE). Relative to patients who had previously completed a preparatory group, patients initiating a trauma-focused EBP without having first attended preparatory PTSD treatment had similar rates of trauma-focused EBP completion and better treatment response, as measured by decreases on the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5; PCL-5), F(1, 3009) = 10.89, p = .001, and Patient Health Questionnaire 9 measure of depressive symptoms F(1, 3688) = 6.74, p = .010. Overall, veterans reported greater symptom reduction when engaging in trauma-focused EBP directly, without having previously attended a preparatory group. These data support veteran engagement in trauma-focused EBPs for PTSD without first being encouraged to complete psychoeducational or skill-building groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

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Published In

Psychol Serv

DOI

EISSN

1939-148X

Publication Date

November 2021

Volume

18

Issue

4

Start / End Page

651 / 662

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Veterans
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs
  • United States
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Psychiatry
  • Implosive Therapy
  • Humans
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5203 Clinical and health psychology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Dedert, E. A., LoSavio, S. T., Wells, S. Y., Steel, A. L., Reinhardt, K., Deming, C. A., … Clancy, C. P. (2021). Clinical effectiveness study of a treatment to prepare for trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies at a veterans affairs specialty posttraumatic stress disorder clinic. Psychol Serv, 18(4), 651–662. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000425
Dedert, Eric A., Stefanie T. LoSavio, Stephanie Y. Wells, Anne L. Steel, Kristen Reinhardt, Charlene A. Deming, Rachel A. Ruffin, et al. “Clinical effectiveness study of a treatment to prepare for trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies at a veterans affairs specialty posttraumatic stress disorder clinic.Psychol Serv 18, no. 4 (November 2021): 651–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000425.
Dedert, Eric A., et al. “Clinical effectiveness study of a treatment to prepare for trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies at a veterans affairs specialty posttraumatic stress disorder clinic.Psychol Serv, vol. 18, no. 4, Nov. 2021, pp. 651–62. Pubmed, doi:10.1037/ser0000425.
Dedert EA, LoSavio ST, Wells SY, Steel AL, Reinhardt K, Deming CA, Ruffin RA, Berlin KL, Kimbrel NA, Wilson SM, Boeding SE, Clancy CP. Clinical effectiveness study of a treatment to prepare for trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies at a veterans affairs specialty posttraumatic stress disorder clinic. Psychol Serv. 2021 Nov;18(4):651–662.

Published In

Psychol Serv

DOI

EISSN

1939-148X

Publication Date

November 2021

Volume

18

Issue

4

Start / End Page

651 / 662

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Veterans
  • United States Department of Veterans Affairs
  • United States
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Psychiatry
  • Implosive Therapy
  • Humans
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5203 Clinical and health psychology