Table 1.
Characteristics of included studies
| Authors, year | Country | Trauma type | Single incident, multiple or mixed | Interventions | Number of participants |
Format | Maximum duration weeks, sessions, (minutes) | Delivered by | Age range (mean) | Met PTSD diagnostic threshold at pre-treatment (%) | Male (%)/ Female (%) |
Dropout (%)a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmad, Larsson, & Sundelin-Wahlsten, 2007 | Sweden | Various | Mixed | EMDR vs WL | 33 | Individual | 8, 8 (45) | Therapists (authors) | 6–16(10) | 100 | 41.2/58.8 | 9.1 | |
| Ahrens & Rexford, 2002 | USA | Violence | Mixed | CPT vs WL | 38 | Group | 8, 8 (60) | Experienced doctoral candidate and qualified psychologist | 15–18(16.4) | 100 | 100/0 | 0 | |
| Barron, Abdallah, & Heltne, 2016 | Palestine | Mass Conflict | Mixed | TRT vs WL | 154 | Group | n.r., 5 (60) | School counsellors | 11–18 (13.5) | 100 | 36.4/63.6 | 16.9 | |
| Catani et al., 2009 | Sri Lanka | Civil unrest, Tsunami | Mixed | KidNET vs MED-RELAX | 31 | Individual | 2, 6 (60–90) | Teachers trained as ‘master counsellors’ | 8–14(11.9) | n.r. | 54.8/45.2 | 0 | |
| Cohen et al., 2004 | USA | Sexual abuse | Mixed | TFCBT vs CCT | 229 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 12,12 (45) | Experienced therapist (social workers and psychologists) | 8–14(10.7) | 89 | 21.2/78.8 | 11.4 | |
| Cohen et al., 2011 | USA | Intimate Partner Violence | Mixed | TFCBT vs CCT | 124 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 8, 8 (45) | Social workers | 7–14 (9.6) | 25 | 49.2/50.8 | 39.5 | |
| Dawson et al., 2018 | Indonesia | Civil conflict | Mixed | TFCBT vs PS | 64 | Individual(with care-giver involvement) | 6, 6 (60) | Lay counsellors | 7–14 (10.4) | 75 | 51.5/48.5 | 0 | |
| de Roos et al., 2011 | Netherlands | Firework Factory explosion | Single incident | TFCBT vs EMDR | 52 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 8, 4 individual plus 4 parent (60) | Licenced therapists | 4–18(10.1) | 17.3 | 55.8/44.2 | 25.9 | |
| de Roos et al., 2017 | Netherlands | Various | Single incident | CBWT vs EMDR vs WL | 103 | Individual | Up to 6, 6 (45) | Clinical psychologists | 8–18 (13.1) | 61.2 | 42.7/57.3 | 3.9 | |
| Deblinger et al., 2011 | USA | Child sexual abuse | Mixed | TFCBT (with TN) vs TFCBT (without TN) | 210 | Individual(with caregiver involvement) | Either 8 or 16, 8 or 16, (90) | Graduates with 3+ years of clinical experience | 4–11 (7.7) | n.r. | 39/61 | 24.8 | |
| Diehle et al., 2015 | Netherlands | Various | Mixed | TFCBT vs EMDR | 48 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 8, 8 (60) | Experienced therapists | 8–18 (13) | 33 | 38/62 | 25 | |
| Ertl et al., 2011 | Uganda | Former child soldiers | Multiple | KidNET vs Academic catchup with SC | 85 | Individual | 3, 8 (90–120) | Lay counsellors | 12–25 (18) | 100 | 44.7/55.3 | 7.6 | |
| Foa, McLean, Capaldi, & Rosenfield, 2013 | USA | Child sexual abuse | Mixed | PE vs SC | 61 | Individual | 14,14 (60 − 90) | Masters-level counsellors | 13 − 18 (15.3) | 100 | 0/100 | 13.1 | |
| Ford et al., 2012 | USA | Various | Mixed | TARGET vs ETAU | 59 | Individual | n.r., 12 (50) | Experienced therapists with professional qualifications | 13–17 (14.7) | 62.8 | 0/100 | 27.1 | |
| Gilboa-Schechtman et al., 2010 | Israel | Various | Single Incident | PE-A vs TLDP | 38 | Individual | PE-A: 15,15 (90)TLDP: n.r., 18 (50) | ‘MA level clinicians’ | 12–18 (14.1) | 100 | 37/63 | 21.1 | |
| Goldbeck et al., 2016 | Germany | Various | Mixed | TFCBT vs WL | 159 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 12, 12 (90) | Therapist with advanced clinical training | 7–17 (13.0) | 75.5 | 28.3/71.7 | 1.9 | |
| Jaberghaderi et al., 2004 | Iran | Sexual abuse | Mixed | TFCBT vs EMDR | 18 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 12, 12 (45) | Clinical psychologist | 12–13 (n.r.) | n.r. | 0/100 | 21.1 | |
| Jaberghaderi et al., 2019 | Iran | Domestic Violence | Multiple | TFCBT vs EMDR | 40 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 12, 12 (60) | Experienced therapists (including author) | 8–12 (n.r.) | 100 | 50.4/49.6 | 23.8 | |
| Jensen et al., 2014 | Norway | Various | Mixed | TFCBT vs TAU | 156 | Individual(with parent involvement) | n.r., 15 (45) | Experienced therapist from mix of professions | (15.1) | 66.7 | 20.5/79.5 | 25 | |
| Kemp et al., 2010 | Australia | Motor vehicle accidents | Single incident | EMDR vs WL | 27 | Individual | 6, 4 (60) | Doctoral-level psychologist with advance training | 6–12(8.9) | n.r. | 55.6/44.4 | 11.1 | |
| King et al., 2000 | Australia | Child sexual abuse | Multiple | Child CBT vs Family CBT vs WL | 36 | Individual (child only)/Individual parent & child) | 20, 20 (50) | Registered psychologist | 5–17 (11.5) | 69.4 | 31/69 | 22.2 | |
| McMullen et al., 2013 | DR Congo | War | Mixed | TFCBT vs WL | 50 | Group | n.r., 15 (45) | Authors and experienced Congolese counsellors | 13–17 (15.8) | n.r. | 100/0 | 4 | |
| Meiser-Stedman et al., 2017 | UK | Various | Single incident | CT-PTSD vs WL | 29 | Individual | 10, 10 (90) | Clinical psychologists (including authors) | 8–17(13.3) | 100 | 27.8/72.2 | 10.3 | |
| Murray et al., 2015 | Zambia | Various | Mixed | TFCBT vs TAU | 257 | Individual | 16, 16 (90) | Lay counsellors | 5–18 (13.7) | n.r. | 50.2/49.8 | 9.7 | |
| Nixon et al., 2012 | Australia | Various | Single incident | TFCBT vs Cognitive Therapy (no exposure) | 34 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 9, 9 (90) | Trainee clinical psychologists | 7–17 (10.8) | 100 | 63.3/36.7 | 38.2 | |
| O’Callaghan et al., 2013 | DR Congo | War | Mixed | TFCBT vs WL | 52 | Group (plus x3 individual sessions & x3 caregiver sessions) | 5, 15, (120) | Social workers | 12–17 (16.1) | 60 | 0/100 | 11.5 | |
| O’Callaghan et al., 2015 | DR Congo | War | Mixed | TFCBT vs CFS | 50 | Group | 3, 9 (90) | Lay facilitators | 8–17 (14.8) | 92 | 58/42 | 0 | |
| Peltonen & Kangaslampi, 2019 | Finland | Various | Mixed | NET vs TAU | 50 | Individual | 10, 10 (9) | Experienced MH professionals | 9–17 (13.2) | n.r. | 58/42 | 14 | |
| Pityaratstian et al., 2015 | Thailand | Tsunami | Mixed | TRT (adapted) vs WL | 36 | Group | 0.4, 3 (120)b | Certified child psychiatrists (incl. author) | 10–15 (12.3) | 100 | 27.8/72.2 | 0 | |
| Robjant et al., 2019 | DR Congo | Former Child Soldiers | Multiple | FORNET vs TAU | 92 | Individual(plus x1 group session per week) | 6, 12 (120) | Lay people | 16–25 (18) | 100 | 0/100 | 0 | |
| Rosner et al., 2019 | Germany | Various | Mixed | D-CPT vs WL/TA | 88 | Group | 20, 30 (50) | Masters-level or postdoctoral therapists | 14–21 (18.1) | 100 | 15/85 | 21.6 | |
| Ruf et al., 2010 | Germany | Refugees | Multiple | KidNET vs WL | 26 | Group | 8, 8 (120) | Clinical psychologists | 7–16 (11.5) | 100 | 54/46 | 3.9 | |
| Salloum & Overstreet, 2012 | USA | Various | Mixed | GTI-CN vs GTI-C | 72 | Group (plus x1 individual & x1 parent session) | 10, 12 (60) | Social workers, social work interns, psychology doctoral student | 6–12 (9.6) | n.r. | 55.7/44.3 | 5.6 | |
| Santiago et al., 2014 | USA | Community Violence | Mixed | CBITS vs CBITS + Family | 64 | Group (plus 1–3 individual & 1–2 group sessions for parents) | n.r., 12 (50) | Social workers | 10–14 (11.7) | 100 | 41/59 | 0 | |
| Scheeringa et al., 2011 | USA | Various | Mixed | TFCBT vs WL | 64 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 12, 12 (50) | Social workers | 3–6 (5.3) | 24 | 66.2/33.8 | 29.7 | |
| Schottelkorb et al., 2012 | USA | Refugees | Mixed | TFCBT vs CCPT | 31 | Individual(with parent involvement) | TFCBT: 12, 20 (30)C0+: 12, 24 (30) | Masters-level student counsellors | 6–13 (9.1) | 58 | 54.8/45.2 | 16.1 | |
| Shein-Szydlo et al., 2016 | Mexico | Various | Mixed | TFCBT vs WL | 100 | Individual | 12, 12 (60) | Psychologists (Authors) | 12–19 (14.9) | 100 | 44/56 | 1 | |
| Smith et al., 2007 | UK | Various | Single incident | TFCBT vs WL | 24 | Individual(with parent involvement) | 10, 12 (n.r.) | Clinical psychologists | 8–18 (13.8) | 100 | 50/50 | 0 | |
| Stein et al., 2003 | USA | Violence | Mixed | CBITS vs WL | 126 | Group | 10, 10 (60) | School clinicians | n.r. (11) | n.r. | 43.7/56.3 | 9.5 | |
| Tol et al., 2008 | Indonesia | Civil conflict | Mixed | CBT-CBI vs WL | 403 | Group | 5, 15 (n.r.) | Local lay people | (9.9) | n.r. | 51.4/48.6 | 2.5 | |
EMDR, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing; WL, waiting list; CPT , cognitive processing therapy; TRT, Teaching Recovery Techniques; KidNET, narrative exposure therapy for children; MED-RELAX, meditation and relaxation intervention; TFCBT, trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy; CCT, child-centred therapy; PS, problem solving intervention; CBWT, cognitive behavioural writing therapy; TN, trauma narrative; SC, supportive counselling; PE, prolonged exposure; TARGET, Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy; ETAU,enhanced treatment as usual (relationship supportive therapy); PE-A, prolonged exposure for adolescents; TLDP, time-limited psychodynamic therapy; TAU, treatment as usual; CBT,cognitive behavioural therapy; CT-PTSD, cognitive therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder; CFS,child friendly spaces; NET, narrative exposure therapy; FORNET, narrative exposure therapy adapted for offenders; WL/TA, waiting list with treatment advice; GTI-CN, grief and trauma intervention with coping skills and trauma narrative processing; GTI-C, grief and trauma intervention – coping skills only; CCPT, child centred play therapy; cbits=cognitive behavioural intervention for trauma in schools; CBT-CBI, cognitive behavioural therapy classroom-based Intervention; n.r. = not reported.
aDropout from all arms including waiting list. bIntervention delivered over three consecutive days followed by homework over the following month.