Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated with Negligible Change in Subjective and...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sleep Medicine
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an evidence-based treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Previous studies suggest CPT improves sleep quality, but often rely on self-report measures.
• Objective and subjective insomnia measures have not been extensively used to evaluate CPT's impact on sleep.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of CPT on objective and subjective sleep indices in veterans with PTSD.
• To assess sleep quality using state-of-the-art insomnia assessment tools.
• To determine if CPT alone adequately addresses sleep disturbances in PTSD patients.

Main Methods:

• Participants included 37 war veterans diagnosed with PTSD at two VA facilities.
• Sleep symptom severity was measured using the consensus daily sleep diary and actigraphy.
• PTSD symptomatology was assessed pre- and post-treatment with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale.

Main Results:

• CPT showed a small to moderate benefit for PTSD symptom reduction (ES_RMC = .43).
• Changes in daily sleep diary and actigraphy variables post-CPT were negligible (ES_RMC range: -.16 to .17).
• Sleep indices remained at clinically significant levels after treatment.

Conclusions:

• CPT alone does not sufficiently improve sleep quality in veterans with PTSD.
• Objective and subjective sleep measures indicate persistent insomnia post-CPT.
• Independent clinical attention for insomnia is recommended before, during, or after PTSD treatment.