TAKING THE PULSE OF PROLONGED EXPOSURE THERAPY: PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIVITY TO TRAUMA IMAGERY AS AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF TREATMENT RESPONSE.
Depress Anxiety
; 32(12): 927-34, 2015 Dec.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26522237
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Physiological reactivity to trauma-related cues is a primary symptom of PTSD and can be assessed objectively using script-driven imagery paradigms. However, subjective self-reported symptom measures are the most common outcome indices utilized in PTSD treatment trials and clinic settings. We examined physiological reactivity during a short trauma imagery task as an objective index of response to PTSD treatment, optimized for use in routine clinical care settings.METHODS:
Participants were 35 male combat veterans receiving prolonged exposure (PE) therapy in a Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic. In addition to traditional subjective self-reported and clinician-rated symptom measures, patients also completed a script-driven imagery task in which heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) were recorded at three assessment points across treatment. We examined changes in subjective symptom measures and objective trauma-specific physiological reactivity over the course of PE, and investigated the association between pretreatment physiological reactivity and treatment response.RESULTS:
Patients who completed PE showed significantly diminished HR and SC reactivity to trauma imagery across therapy. Additionally, individuals showing greater trauma-specific HR reactivity at pretreatment showed greater reductions in subjectively reported PTSD symptoms at posttreatment.CONCLUSIONS:
Findings support the utility of physiological reactivity during trauma imagery as an objective outcome measure that has the potential to be incorporated into evidence-based PTSD treatment in routine clinical settings, or prospective studies related to the individualization of care at pretreatment.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Estimulação Luminosa
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Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos
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Resposta Galvânica da Pele
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Frequência Cardíaca
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Terapia Implosiva
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2015
Tipo de documento:
Article