Abstract
Objective 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. Results 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. Conclusions Brief individual therapy is effective in decreasing posttraumatic distress and behavioral trauma-focused components enhance efficacy. Clinical trial registry information Prolonged Exposure Therapy Versus Active Psychotherapy in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Adolescents, URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov, unique identifier: NCT00183690.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1034-1042 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was funded by grant NIMH R34 MH71660-01 awarded to Dr. Gilboa-Schechtman.
Keywords
- adolescence
- cognitive-behavioral therapy
- dynamic therapy
- posttraumatic stress disorder
- treatment outcome
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health