Prediction of numbing and effortful avoidance in female rape survivors with chronic PTSD.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationships among numbing, arousal, intrusion, and avoidance in a sample of 272 female rape survivors. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test a theoretical model, which posits that hyperarousal and numbing are functionally related mechanisms and intrusions and avoidance are functionally related. Results supported the hypothesis that arousal explained the majority of the variance in numbing beyond that explained by avoidance and intrusion. In addition, intrusive symptoms explained the majority of the variance in effortful avoidance beyond that explained by numbing and arousal. The findings suggest that numbing and effortful avoidance may be separate mechanisms associated with symptoms of arousal and intrusion, respectively.

A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims.

The purpose of this study was to compare cognitive-processing therapy (CPT) with prolonged exposure and a minimal attention condition (MA) for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. One hundred seventy-one female rape victims were randomized into 1 of the 3 conditions, and 121 completed treatment. Participants were assessed with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, the PTSD Symptom Scale, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Trauma-Related Guilt Inventory. Independent assessments were made at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3 and 9 months posttreatment. Analyses indicated that both treatments were highly efficacious and superior to MA. The 2 therapies had similar results except that CPT produced better scores on 2 of 4 guilt subscales.