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Augmenting cognitive behaviour therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder with emotion tolerance training: a
R A Bryant1, J Mastrodomenico, S Hopwood
1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia. r.bryant@unsw.edu.au
Psychological Medicine
|February 15, 2013
Summary
Preparing patients with emotion regulation skills before cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) improved outcomes and reduced drop-outs. This skills-based approach enhanced treatment effectiveness.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry
- Trauma Studies
Background:
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is a common treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- However, many patients exhibit poor adherence or do not fully benefit from standard CBT protocols.
- This highlights a need for optimizing CBT delivery for PTSD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if pre-treatment emotion regulation skills training enhances CBT outcomes in adult civilian PTSD patients.
- To compare the efficacy of emotion regulation training followed by CBT versus supportive counseling followed by CBT.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 70 adult civilian patients diagnosed with PTSD.
- Participants were assigned to either supportive counseling followed by CBT (Support/CBT) or emotion regulation training followed by CBT (Skills/CBT) for 12 sessions.
- Treatment outcomes were assessed at 6 months follow-up.
Main Results:
- The Skills/CBT group demonstrated significantly fewer treatment drop-outs compared to the Support/CBT group.
- Patients in the Skills/CBT group reported lower levels of PTSD and anxiety, and fewer negative appraisals.
- A moderate effect size (0.43) was observed for PTSD severity, with 31% of Skills/CBT patients achieving high end-state functioning versus 12% in Support/CBT.
Conclusions:
- Preparing PTSD patients with emotion regulation skills prior to CBT appears to enhance treatment response and effectiveness.
- This intervention may improve adherence and functional outcomes in individuals with PTSD.
- High participant attrition in the study necessitates cautious interpretation of findings.
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