Table 4.
Characteristics of included RCTs, treatment conditions, and primary measurements for PTSD symptoms.
| Authors | Year | Population subtype | Trauma type | Age range | Mean age | Percentage male | Percentage female | Type of NBI | Talk or written therapy | Control | Study design | PTSD symptom measurement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adenauer et al. | 2011 | Refugee and asylum seekers | Fleeing as refugee and asylum seekers | 16–46 | 28.6 | 27.3 | 72.7 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | CAPS |
| Alessandri | 2017 | Undergraduate students | Various | NA | 20.48 | 22.72 | 77.28 | EW | Written | Directive protocol | RCT | PCL-S |
| Al-Hadethe et al. | 2015 | Iraqi students | Various | 16–19 | NA | 100 | 0 | NET | Both | EFT | RCT | SPTSS |
| Bichescu et al. | 2007 | Romanian political prisoners | Political imprisonment | NA | 68.9 | 100 | 0 | NET | Both | PED | RCT | CIDI |
| Brady et al. | 2021 | UK-residing survivors of trafficking | Human trafficking | NA | 26.73 | 26.66 | 73.33 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | CAPS |
| Fan et al. | 2021 | Covid-19 patients in Xiangyang City | Hospitalized with COVID-19 | NA | 46.16 | 39.29 | 60.71 | NET | Both | TAU | RCT | PCL-C |
| Gensichen et al. | 2022 | German adults | Critical illness in ICU | 18–85 | NA | NA | NA | NET | Both | TAU | RCT | PDS-5 |
| Gofman et al. | 2021 | Israeli adults | Various | 18–70 | 38.6 | 43.33 | 56.66 | NR | Both | Waitlist | RCT | CAPS |
| Gray et al. | 2017 | US veterans | War and combat | NA | 48.6 | 100 | 0 | RTM | Talk | Waitlist | RCT | PCL-M; PSS-I |
| Hensel-Dittmann et al. | 2011 | Asylum seekers in Germany | War, combat, and torture | NA | NA | NA | NA | NET | Both | SIT | RCT | CAPS |
| Hermenau et al. | 2013 | Former child soldiers in Eastern DRC | War and combat (child soldier) | 16–25 | 19 | 100 | 0 | FORNET | Both | TAU | RCT | PSS-I |
| Hijazi et al. | 2014 | Iraqi refugees in Michigan | Fleeing as refugee and asylum seekers | NA | 48.2 | 44.4 | 55.6 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | HTQ |
| Ironson et al. | 2013 | People with HIV in Florida | HIV diagnosis | 18–70 | 42.8 | 60 | 40 | WED | Written | FFW | RCT | Davidson |
| Jacob et al. | 2014 | Rwandan citizens | Rwandan genocide | NA | 48.29 / 25.06 | NA | NA | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | PSS-I; CAPS |
| Koebach et al. | 2021 | Former child soldiers in Eastern DRC | War and combat (child soldier) | 16–75 | 33 | NA | NA | FORNET | Both | TAU | RCT | PSS-I |
| Lely et al. | 2019a | Older Dutch patients with PTSD | Various | 55–81 | 62.65 | 72.2 | 27.8 | NET | Both | PCT | RCT | CAPS |
| McIntire | 2014 | University students | Various | NA | 19.67 | 76.66 | 23.33 | NW | Written | Innocuous writing | RCT | CAPS; PCL |
| Morath et al. | 2014a | Refugees with PTSD | War and torture | 15–46 | 30 | 41.17 | 58.83 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | CAPS |
| Morath et al. | 2014b | Refugees with PTSD | War and torture | 15+ | 28.7 | 68.43 | 31.57 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | CAPS |
| Moreira et al. | 2020 | Females in Portugal | Intimate partner violence | 18+ | 37 | 0 | 100 | CNT | Talk | TAU | RCT | ITQ |
| Neuner et al. | 2004 | African refugees | Fleeing as refugee and asylum seekers | NA | 31.9 | 46.7 | 53.3 | NET | Both | SC | RCT | CIDI |
| Neuner et al. | 2008 | African refugees | Fleeing as refugee and asylum seekers | NA | 34.4 | 49.5 | 50.5 | NET | Both | TC | RCT | PDS |
| Neuner et al. | 2009 | Asylum seekers in Germany | Fleeing as refugee and asylum seekers | NA | 31.1 | 68.8 | 31.2 | NET | Both | TAU | RCT | PDS |
| Orang et al. | 2018 | Iranian women | Intimate partner violence | 16–60 | NA | 0 | 100 | NET | Both | TAU | RCT | PSS-I |
| Park et al. | 2020 | Refugees from North Korea | Fleeing as refugee and asylum seekers | 16–24 | 18.89 | 33.33 | 66.66 | NET | Both | TAU | RCT | UPID |
| Qian et al. | 2021 | Pregnant women | Termination of pregnancy | NA | 30.06 | 0 | 100 | EW | Written | TAU | RCT | IES-R |
| Robjant et al. | 2019 | Former child soldiers in Eastern DRC | War and combat (child soldier) | 16–25 | 18 | 0 | 100 | FORNET | Both | TAU | RCT | PSS-I |
| Sloan et al. | 2011 | University students | Various | NA | 18.9 | NA | NA | WED | Written | FFW | RCT | PSS-I |
| Sloan et al. | 2012 | Adults in Boston | Surviving a motor vehicle accident | 18–65 | 40.65 | 35 | 65 | WET | Written | Waitlist | RCT | CAPS |
| Sloan et al. | 2018 | Treatment seeking adults in Boston | Various | 18+ | 43.86 | 52.38 | 47.62 | WET | Written | CPT | RCT | PCL-5; CAPS-5 |
| Sloan et al. | 2022 | Military service members in Texas | Various | 18+ | 35 | 81.2 | 18.8 | WET | Written | CPT | RCT | CAPS |
| Womersley et al. | 2020 | Men in South Africa | Chronic gang violence | 16–40 | 23.4 | 100 | 0 | FORNET | Both | CBT | RCT | PSS-I |
| Zang et al. | 2013 | Adult survivors of the Sichuan earthquake | Natural disaster | 37–75 | 55.7 | 22.72 | 77.28 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | IES-R; PDS |
| Zang et al. | 2014 | Adult survivors of the Sichuan earthquake | Natural disaster | 28–80 | 53.63 | 10 | 90 | NET | Both | Waitlist | RCT | IES-R; PDS |
| Zolfa et al. | 2022 | Iranian women | Breast cancer | NA | 41.09 | 0 | 100 | WET | Written | TAU | RCT | PCL-5 |
NET, Narrative Exposure Therapy; EW, Expressive writing; NR, Narrative reconstruction; RTM, Reconsolidation of traumatic memories; FORNET, Forensic offender rehabilitation narrative exposure therapy; WED, Written emotional disclosure; NW, Narrative writing; CNT, Cognitive narrative therapy; WET, Written exposure therapy; EFT, Emotional freedom technique; PED, Psychoeducation; TAU, Treatment as usual; SIT, Stress inoculation training; FFW, Fact-focused writing; PCT, Present centered therapy; SC, Supportive counselling; TC, Trauma counselling; CPT, Cognitive processing therapy; PSS-I, PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview; CAPS, the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (−5 for DSM-5); PCL, the PTSD Checklist (−5 for DSM-5; −M for military specific assessment protocol); PDS-5, Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5; SPTSS, the Structured Psychodiagnostic Interview for PTSD; CIDI, the Composite International Diagnostic Interview; HTQ, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire; Davidson, the Davidson Trauma Scale; ITQ, the International Trauma Questionnaire; UPID, the UCLA PTSD Index for DSM-5; IES-R, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised.