Citation

Wolf GK, Kretzmer T, Crawford E, Thors C, Wagner HR, Strom TQ, Eftekhari A, Klenk M, Hayward L, Vanderploeg RD. J. Trauma. Stress 2015; 28(4): 339-347.

Affiliation

Departments of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, and Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.22029

PMID

26201688

Abstract

The present study used archival clinical data to analyze the delivery and effectiveness of prolonged exposure (PE) and ancillary services for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn veterans (N = 69) with histories of mild to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Data from standard clinical assessments of veterans and active duty personnel treated in both inpatient and outpatient programs at 2 Department of Veteran Affairs medical centers were examined. Symptoms were assessed with self-report measures of PTSD (PTSD Checklist) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II) before and throughout therapy. Mixed linear models were utilized to determine the slope of reported symptoms throughout treatment, and the effects associated with fixed factors such as site, treatment setting (residential vs. outpatient), and TBI severity were examined.

RESULTS demonstrated significant decreases in PTSD, B = -3.00, 95% CI [-3.22, -2.78]; t(210) = -13.5; p <.001, and in depressive symptoms, B = -1.46, 95% CI [-1.64, -1.28]; t(192) = -8.32; p <.001. The effects of PE treatment by clinical setting and participants with moderate to severe injuries reported more rapid gains than those with a history of mild TBI. The results provide evidence that PE may well be effective for veterans with PTSD and TBI.

Language: en