Does exposure exacerbate symptoms in veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder?
Psychol Trauma
; 13(8): 920-928, 2021 Nov.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32673006
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are often not offered exposure therapy for PTSD due to concerns that symptoms may worsen. This study examined whether initiating exposure would cause exacerbation of PTSD, alcohol use, depression, or suicidal ideation (SI) among patients with PTSD/AUD participating in exposure therapy for PTSD.METHOD:
Veterans were randomized to either concurrent treatment of PTSD and substance use disorders using prolonged exposure (COPE) or seeking safety, a nonexposure intervention, and were included in this study if they had data to at least Session 5 available (n = 81). They completed measures of PTSD, alcohol use, and depression/SI symptom severity throughout treatment and posttreatment. The reliable exacerbation method examined the number of participants who demonstrated clinically meaningful symptom exacerbation from Sessions 3 to 5 (capturing the prepost window for the start of exposure in COPE). Hierarchical/logistic regressions examined whether treatment condition predicted exacerbation of symptoms. T tests/chi-square analyses examined whether clinical exacerbation led to worse posttreatment outcomes.RESULTS:
Few participants endorsed exacerbation in symptoms of PTSD (15.8%), alcohol use (5.1%), depression (10.2%), or SI (12.8%). No significant treatment condition differences existed. Participants who experienced symptom exacerbation had higher rates of depression posttreatment compared to those who did not experience symptom exacerbation, but there were no differences in PTSD, alcohol use, or SI.CONCLUSIONS:
Exposure therapy did not lead to more clinical exacerbation than nonexposure therapy during the course of treatment, providing support that exposure therapy should not be withheld from patients with PTSD/AUD. This was a secondary analysis. and future studies that are sufficiently powered may demonstrate different results. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos
/
Veteranos
/
Alcoolismo
/
Terapia Implosiva
Tipo de estudo:
Clinical_trials
/
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article