@article{ref1,
title="The effects of religiosity, spirituality, and sense of purpose on posttraumatic stress disorder treatment outcomes among veterans",
journal="Journal of psychiatric research",
year="2024",
author="Fry, Katie M. and Bennett, Diana C. and Roberge, Erika M. and McClain, Cara M. and Rugo-Cook, Kelsi and Brewczynski, Jacek and Pryor, Cosette",
volume="176",
number="",
pages="276-281",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Religion/spirituality (R/S) is an important and commonly used resource for coping with difficult experiences and has been shown to reduce the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following a trauma. However, it is not clear how R/S affects response to treatment of PTSD. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to understand how Veterans' R/S and sense of purpose were related to clinical outcomes when engaging in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) or Prolonged Exposure (PE). It was predicted that Veterans identifying as R/S would have a higher sense of purpose, be more likely to complete treatment, and have greater symptom change during treatment. <br><br>METHOD: The study included 91 military Veterans from a VA Medical Center outpatient PTSD Clinical Team who initiated CPT or PE and responded to a question about the importance of R/S in their lives at intake. <br><br>RESULTS: Forty nine percent of the Veterans in this sample reported R/S were important to them and had mixed feelings about whether their life had a clear sense of purpose. Neither R/S nor sense of purpose were associated with treatment completion or response to PTSD treatment. <br><br>CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that once PTSD has developed, R/S or sense of purpose may not play a significant role in completion of or response to evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD. EBPs for PTSD are equally effective for Veterans identifying as R/S and those who do not, which may be reflective of administering EBPs in a culturally responsive manner.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-3956",
doi="10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.05.054",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.05.054"
}