For a study, it was determined that psychotherapies were well-known as effective short-term treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The long-term efficacy of such therapies and the maintenance of gains when they are terminated are less understood. The meta-analysis examined the long-term effects of psychotherapy for PTSD in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with at least 6-month long-term follow-ups (LTFUs). In 32 PTSD trials with 72 treatment conditions (N=2,935) were included in the analysis. For the time from pretreatment to LTFU, effect sizes were considerably bigger for active psychotherapy conditions than for control conditions, but not for the period from posttreatment to LTFU. All active interventions were found to be effective over time. The impact sizes of pretreatment with LTFU did not differ significantly among treatment regimens. In the posttreatment to LTFU period, exposure-based treatments had a stronger effect (d=0.27) than other interventions (P=0.005). LTFU impact sizes were not significantly associated with trauma type, population type, or intended duration of treatment among active conditions. Still, they were strongly linked to acute dropout, and trials included all randomized patients in follow-up analyses. The researchers encouraged interventions’ long-term efficacy and symptom reduction durability and interpreted it in conjunction with methodological considerations and RCT research characteristics. The current meta-analysis’ results were consistent with PTSD treatment guidelines (for example, Forbes et al., 2010), which include exposure-based therapies, trauma-focused CBT, cognitive therapy, and EMDR.
Link:www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735817302271
