Researchers from the University of Amsterdam in Tafelbergweg evaluated the efficacy of brief cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with acute posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from various types of psychological trauma.
The authors randomly assigned 143 patients with acute PTSD, within 3 months after experiencing a traumatic incident, to either brief cognitive behavioral therapy (N=79) or a waiting list comparison group (N=64).
Cognitive behavioral therapy consisted of four weekly sessions consisting of education, relaxation exercises, imaginal exposure (guided imagery), in vivo exposure, and cognitive restructuring.
The main outcome measure was PTSD scoring measured by a structured interview; secondary outcomes were anxiety and depression measured by a questionnaire. Assessments took place before the intervention and 1 week and 4 months after the intervention.
Results revealed that it helped relieve stress, symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression decreased in both groups over time. One week after the intervention, the cognitive behavioral therapy group had significantly fewer symptoms of PTSD than the comparison group, but this difference was smaller and no longer significant 4 months after the intervention. Similar results were found for the anxiety and depression scores.