How important are Phase 1 interventions for complex interpersonal trauma? A pilot randomized control trial of a group...

Although psychoeducational interventions are recommended as Phase 1 interventions for complex trauma, there is limited evidence on their efficacy. This pilot randomized control trial (RCT) investigated the efficacy of a pure psychoeducational intervention for complex trauma. A brief 10-session intervention was delivered to n = 44 female prisoners in a compressed format to accommodate short sentence lengths and was compared with usual care (n = 42). Results from an intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis indicated that there were no statistically significant differences between the two arms across the three assessment time points (including 1-month postintervention) for the main outcomes (Behavioural Assessment Checklist-Revised, β = 4.60, 95% CI [-1.60, 10.88], p = .148; posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] Checklist, β = -1.47, 95% CI [-4.30, 1.36], p = .303). Post hoc reliable change analyses suggested twice the number of adequate dose participants made progress in addressing PTSD symptoms compared with usual care (30.3% vs. 17.6%, OR 2.03, 95% CI [.64, 6.43]). Although further work in this area is required, initial results, overall, suggest that psychoeducational group-based treatment modalities achieve only small effect sizes in comparison with usual care.