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. 2023 Oct 5;2023(10):CD013456. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013456.pub2

Resick 2008a.

Study characteristics
Methods Study design: randomised controlled trial
Study grouping: parallel group
Duration of study: October 2000 to August 2005 (data collection)
Ethics approvals: the study was conducted in compliance with the University of Missouri IRB
Location of study: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, metropolitan area
Randomisation method: not given
Participants Baseline characteristics
CBT (CPT)
  • Participants (at randomisation): 56

  • Gender: 100% female participants

  • Age: not given

  • Ethnicity: not given

  • Disability: not given

  • Time since trauma: not given

  • Income: 79% < USD 20,000

  • Education: not given

  • Employment: not given

  • Sexual violence in adulthood: not given

  • Comorbid conditions: not given

  • Baseline PTSD, M (SD): 70.19 (15.5)

  • Partnered: not given

  • Randomised (N): 56

  • Completed post‐treatment assessment (N): 43

  • Dropped out or removed prior to analysis (N): 11

  • Numbers analysed at final applicable time point (N): 45

  • Number of sessions: not given

  • Treatment completion: 27 (48%)


CBT (cognitive therapy)
  • Participants (select at randomisation if available): 51

  • Gender: 100% female participants

  • Age: not given

  • Ethnicity: not given

  • Disability: not given

  • Time since trauma: not given

  • Income: 46% < USD 20,000

  • Education: not given

  • Employment: not given

  • Sexual violence in adulthood: not given

  • Comorbid conditions: not given

  • Baseline PTSD, M (SD): 73.87 (21.04)

  • Partnered: not given

  • Randomised (N): 51

  • Completed post‐treatment assessment (N): 38

  • Dropped out or removed prior to analysis (N): 15

  • Numbers analysed at final applicable time point (N): 36

  • Number of sessions: not given

  • Treatment completion: 29 (57%)


CBT (written exposure)
  • Participants (at randomisation): 55

  • Gender: 100% female participants

  • Age: not given

  • Ethnicity: not given

  • Disability: not given

  • Time since trauma: not given

  • Income: 42% < USD 20,000

  • Education: not given

  • Employment: not given

  • Sexual violence in adulthood: not given

  • Comorbid conditions: not given

  • Baseline PTSD, M (SD): 70.38 (18.65)

  • Partnered: not given

  • Randomised (N): 55

  • Completed post‐treatment assessment (N): 38

  • Dropped out or removed prior to analysis (N): 15

  • Numbers analysed at final applicable time point (N): 40

  • Number of sessions: not given

  • Treatment completion: 30 (54%)


Overall
  • Participants (at randomisation): 162

  • Gender: 100% female participants

  • Age, M (SD): 35.4 years (12.4 years)

  • Ethnicity: 62% white, 34% African American, 4% other

  • Disability: not given

  • Time since trauma, M (SD): 175 months (174 months)

  • Income: not given

  • Education (% high school, college or apprentice, university or years of education): 13.8 years (2.8 years), 52% partial college or technical training

  • Employment: not given

  • Sexual violence in adulthood: 80.7% sexual violence in adulthood; 78% child sexual abuse; 60.7% domestic abuse; 84% adult physical assault

  • Comorbid conditions: 50% current major depression; 20% panic disorder

  • Baseline PTSD: not given

  • Partnered: 20

  • Approached (N): 256

  • Ineligible (N): 75

  • Declined (N): 0

  • Other (N): 19

  • Randomised (N): 162

  • Completed post‐treatment assessment (N): 119

  • Dropped out or removed prior to analysis (N): 41

  • Numbers analysed at final applicable time point (N): 121


Inclusion criteria
  • Experienced sexual or physical assault in childhood or adulthood and met criteria for PTSD at the time of initial assessment

  • At least 3 months post‐trauma (no upper limit)

  • If taking medication, is stabilised

  • Had been abstinent from substance use for 6 months, if had substance dependence

  • Current users had to agree to desist from substance use during treatment.


Exclusion criteria
  • Illiteracy

  • Current psychosis, suicidal intent, dependence on drugs or alcohol


Pretreatment: CPT group had a significantly lower income than other 2 groups (cognitive therapy and written exposure/accounts). Lowest‐income participants were least likely to complete the full course of therapy.
Interventions Intervention characteristics
CBT (CPT)
  • Planned number of intervention sessions: 12 (12 × 60‐minute sessions)

  • Mode of delivery (face‐to‐face, online, video, telephone, blend, with explanation): face‐to‐face

  • Format (group, individual, blend): individual

  • Therapist qualifications and training appropriate (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): yes, therapists across arms were 8 women with either a doctorate or master's degree in clinical psychology and training in CBT. They were trained by Resick or another senior team member in the therapy required here; they had a manual, watched training videos and had practice sessions. They were supervised during the trial at weekly sessions.

  • Research allegiance or conflict of interest (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): yes, first author developed the therapy.

  • Treatment fidelity (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): yes, trained independent raters conducted assessment of treatment adherence and therapist competence. All sessions were recorded and available for random selection for assessment of fidelity. Ninety per cent of unique and essential elements were included in all sessions, and there were no violations of the protocols regarding proscribed elements.

  • Intervention aim and theoretical basis: CPT followed the manual as written by Resick 1993. CPT is a highly structured protocol in which the client learns the skill of recognising and challenging dysfunctional cognitions, first about the worst traumatic event and then later with regard to the meaning of the events for current beliefs about self and others.

  • Duration of intervention: 6 weeks


CBT (cognitive therapy)
  • Planned number of intervention sessions: 12 (12 × 60‐minute sessions)

  • Mode of delivery (face‐to‐face, online, video, telephone, blend, with explanation): face‐to‐face

  • Format (group, individual, blend): individual

  • Therapist qualifications and training appropriate (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): as previous

  • Research allegiance or conflict of interest (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): as previous

  • Treatment fidelity (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): as previous, and adherence for unique and essential elements was 90% adherence to the protocol across all sessions, and there were no protocol violations on proscribed elements.

  • Intervention aim and theoretical basis: identical to CPT but without inclusion of the written account component

  • Duration of intervention: 6 weeks


CBT (written exposure)
  • Planned number of intervention sessions: 7 (2 × 60‐minute sessions; 5 × 120 min)

  • Mode of delivery (face‐to‐face, online, video, telephone, blend, with explanation): face‐to‐face

  • Format (group, individual, blend): individual

  • Therapist qualifications and training appropriate (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): as previous

  • Research allegiance or conflict of interest (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): as previous

  • Treatment fidelity (yes, no, unclear, with explanation): as previous, and for unique and essential elements on written accounts adherence, there was 80% adherence to the protocol across all sessions, and there were 2 violations on proscribed elements.

  • Intervention aim and theoretical basis: included only the writing account component, although this has been expanded considerably to fit into a similar amount of therapy time

  • Duration of intervention: 6 weeks

Outcomes PTSD
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: CAPS

  • Direction: lower is better

  • Score range: 0 to 80

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months


Adverse events
  • Outcome type: adverse event

  • Notes: the adverse event in the written accounts only arm was increased suicide ideation; 1 other adverse event was noted as being unrelated, and they did not report what it was or which group it had occurred in.


Treatment dropout
  • Outcome type: dichotomous outcome


PTSD
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: PDS – Self‐report

  • Direction: lower is better

  • Score range: 0 to 51

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months


Depression
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: BDI‐II

  • Direction: lower is better

  • Score range: 0 to 63

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months


Anxiety
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: STAI‐State

  • Direction: lower is better

  • Score range: 0 to 80

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months


Trauma‐related beliefs
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: PBRS

  • Direction: higher is better

  • Score range: 0 to 6

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months


Guilt
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: TRGI

  • Direction: lower is better

  • Score range: 0 to 4

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months


Shame
  • Outcome type: continuous outcome

  • Scale used: Epworth Sleepiness Scale

  • Direction: lower is better

  • Score range: 25 to 100

  • Data value: endpoint and 6 months

Identification Sponsorship source: NIMH grant 2‐R01‐MH51509
Country: USA
Setting: community sample identified through victim assistance agencies, community therapists and self‐referral; interventions delivered in academic centre
Authors name: Patricia Resick
Institution: Boston University
Email: Patricia.Resick@va.gov
Year: 2008
Notes