To examine the efficacy and maintenance of developmentally adapted prolonged exposure therapy for adolescents (PE- A) compared with active control time-limited dynamic therapy (TLDP-A) for decreasing posttraumatic and depressive symptoms in adolescent victims of single-event traumas.
Method
Thirty-eight adolescents (12 to 18 years old) were randomly assigned to receive PE-A or TLDP-A.
Both treatments resulted in decreased posttraumatic stress disorder and depression and increased functioning. PE-A exhibited a greater decrease of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptom severity and a greater increase in global functioning than did TDLP-A. After treatment, 68.4% of adolescents beginning treatment with PE-A and 36.8% of those beginning treatment with TLDP-A no longer met diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Treatment gains were maintained at 6- and 17-month follow-ups.
Brief individual therapy is effective in decreasing posttraumatic distress and behavioral trauma-focused components enhance efficacy.
Authors: Eva Gilboa-Schechtman Ph.D., Edna B. Foa Ph.D., Naama Shafran M.A., Idan M. Aderka Ph.D., Mark B. Powers Ph.D., Lilach Rachamim Ph.D, Lea Rosenbach M.A., Elna Yadin Ph.D. and Alan Apter M.D.Eva Gilboa-Schechtman Ph.D., Edna B. Foa Ph.D., Naama Shafran M.A., Idan M. Aderka Ph.D., Mark B. Powers Ph.D., Lilach Rachamim Ph.D, Lea Rosenbach M.A., Elna Yadin Ph.D. and Alan Apter M.D.
Doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2010.07.014
