Characteristics of Posttraumatic Nightmares and Their Relationship to PTSD Severity Among Combat Veterans With PTSD and Hazardous Alcohol Use.

ABSTRACT: Although nightmares are known to predict the clinical course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), research on the relationship between specific nightmare characteristics and PTSD severity is sparse. This study conducted a secondary analysis to explore how five nightmare characteristics are cross-sectionally related to PTSD severity in 76 combat veterans with PTSD and at-risk alcohol use. Consistent with emotional processing theory, we hypothesized that more replicative, threatening, realistic, and easily recalled nightmares would be associated with more severe PTSD, whereas those with greater symbolism would predict lower PTSD severity. Nightmares narratives were audio-recorded and rated by multiple coders. Multiple analyses of variance explored the relationship between nightmare characteristics and PTSD clinical indicators. Most nightmares were realistic, easily recalled, and involved significant threat. Greater realism and replication were associated with greater PTSD severity. Realistic and replicative nightmares may be markers of more severe PTSD and may indicate that less emotional processing of the trauma has occurred.

A pilot study comparing peer supported web-based CBT to self-managed web CBT for primary care veterans with PTSD and hazardous alcohol use.

OBJECTIVE: Many combat veterans struggle with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hazardous alcohol use and are hesitant to engage in behavioral health services. Combining peer support with an eHealth intervention may overcome many barriers to care. This pilot study investigated the feasibility of adding peer support to a web-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) targeting PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking, called Thinking Forward. METHOD: Thirty primary care patients with PTSD and hazardous alcohol use were randomized to receive Thinking Forward with or without peer support. Participants were assessed at pretreatment, posttreatment, and 24-week follow-up. Feasibility was analyzed with descriptive statistics. Preliminary outcomes were analyzed with multilevel modeling and effect sizes are presented. RESULTS: Peer support specialists can be feasibly trained to support the Thinking Forward intervention with good fidelity. Both participants and peers reported good satisfaction with the protocol; although peers discussed a mismatch between the philosophies of peer support and diagnostically focused CBT. All participants experienced significant improvements in PTSD, quality of life, resiliency, and coping from pre- to posttreatment, with no differences between conditions. Pretreatment patient activation predicted outcomes regardless of whether participants received peer support. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Peer support interventions to facilitate eHealth programs should strive to be consistent with the person-centered, recovery orientation of peer support, explicitly focus on patient activation, and consider characteristics of the patients, such as their level of problem recognition and willingness to engage in traditional behavioral health modalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).