Comparative effectiveness of prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy for military service members in an intensive treatment program.

OBJECTIVE

While the comparative efficacy of prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) has been examined in outpatient settings, there is a dearth of literature on the relative effectiveness of these interventions when adapted for an intensive treatment format. In an expanded secondary analysis of a previous study, we sought to examine the comparative effectiveness of PE and CPT delivered in the naturalistic setting of an intensive treatment format including maintenance of outcomes through a 6-month follow-up period.

METHOD

A sample of 296 veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) received either PE ( = 186) or CPT ( = 90), alongside other trauma-informed interventions, in a 2-week intensive clinical program. Treatment selection was determined collaboratively between patient and therapist. Our primary outcome was self-reported PTSD symptom severity (i.e., PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, PCL-5); secondarily, we examined self-reported depression (i.e., Patient Health Questionnaire) symptom severity outcomes.

RESULTS

A mixed-model regression controlling for age and gender revealed a significant effect of time from baseline to endpoint ( < .001), 3-month ( < .001), and 6-month follow-up ( < .001) on PCL-5 scores but no significant effect of treatment or effect of treatment by time interaction (all s > .05; model: Wald's χ² = 232.38, < .001). Results were similar for depression outcomes. Attrition at posttreatment was not significantly different between groups: 7.2% for CPT and 6.5% PE ( score = 0.22).

CONCLUSIONS

Both PE and CPT are associated with comparable improvements when delivered as part of a 2-week intensive outpatient program. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).