A field test of group based exposure therapy with 102 veterans with war-related posttraumatic stress
A field test of group based exposure therapy with 102 veterans with war-related posttraumatic stress disorder.
Group-based exposure therapy (GBET) was field-tested with 102 veterans with war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nine to 11 patients attended 3 hours of group therapy per day twice weekly for 16-18 weeks. Stress management and a minimum of 60 hours of exposure was included (3 hours of within-group war-trauma presentations per patient, 30 hours of listening to recordings of patient\’s own war-trauma presentations and 27 hours of hearing other patients\’ war-trauma presentations). Analysis of assessments conducted by treating clinicians pre-, post- and 6-month posttreatment suggests that GBET produced clinically significant and lasting reductions in PTSD symptoms for most patients on both clinician symptoms ratings (6-month posttreatment effect size delta = 1.22) and self-report measures with only three dropouts.
Ready DJ, Thomas KR, Worley V, Backscheider AG, Harvey LA, Baltzell D, Rothbaum BO.
Mental Health Service Line, VA Medical Center–Atlanta, Decatur, GA and Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.