Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Conditions
Brief summary
This study will evaluate the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT) versus eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of trauma survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients will be randomly assigned to TF-CBT or EMDR. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 3 and 12 months post-treatment. In addition to comparing the efficacy of the two protocols, an additional focus will lie on identifying predictors for treatment outcome.
Interventions
This intervention comprises 10 sessions of trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy for PTSD with the components (a) prolonged imaginal exposure, (b) in vivo exposure, and (c) cognitive restructuring.
This intervention comprises 10 sessions of EMDR according to the standard protocol.
Sponsors
VU University of Amsterdam
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 70 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* A full diagnosis of PTSD according to the DSM-IV or subthreshold PTSD (criteria for intrusive re-experiencing are fulfilled and either three avoidance/numbing symptoms or two hyperarousal symptoms are present) * PTSD is related to one or more single-event traumas and participants have a clear memory of this event/these events (sufficient for constructing scenes to be used in exposure) * Age between 18 and 70 * Sufficient fluency in Dutch to complete treatment and research protocol * If participants are using anti-depressants, they need to be on a stable dose for at least 2 weeks before the beginning of treatment and remain on this dose throughout the treatment.
Exclusion criteria
* Dementia or other severe cognitive impairment * Psychosis * Depression with suicidal ideation * Bipolar disorder * Borderline Personality Disorder * Anti-social personality disorder * Substance dependence * Current use of tranquilizers * Exposure to prolonged and/or chronic trauma (type-II-trauma)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| PTSD symptom severity: (a) interviewer rating (PSS-I); (b) self-report (PDS) | Assessed at post-treatment, 3 months and 12 months follow-up |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Depressive symptom severity (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) | assessed at post-treatment, 3 months and 12 months follow-up |
| Severity of anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI) | assessed at posttreatment, 3 months and 12 months follow-up |
| Trauma-related appraisal (Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory, PTCI) | post-treatment |
Countries
Netherlands
Outcome results
None listed