Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | Trauma & Resilience Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Road, BBSB 3120, Houston, TX, 77054, USA.
Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 109 Bee St., Charleston, SC, 29425, USA.
J Behav Health Serv Res. 2021 Apr;48(2):171-182. doi: 10.1007/s11414-020-09734-0. Epub 2020 Oct 8.
This paper describes feasibility of and patient and peer satisfaction with a Veteran-to-Veteran peer support program purposefully integrated into prolonged exposure (PE) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to address barriers contributing to dropout from both in person and telemedicine delivered PE. Specifically, patients who had dropped out of PE were offered the opportunity to return to treatment, this time with a peer who themselves had completed PE, who would join them during a limited number of PE in vivo exposure homework trials. About half of the Veterans who dropped out indicated willingness to return to treatment, noting the peer as central to this decision, and about a third actually returned to treatment. Participants reported high satisfaction with the program, as did peers. Peers reported that their own symptoms were not exacerbated by engaging in exposure homework with the patients. While in the military, service members are trained to leverage the power of the group toward mission-specific tasks; and this training appears relevant to PTSD treatment in the present context.
本文描述了退伍军人对退伍军人同伴支持计划的可行性和患者及同伴满意度，该计划专门纳入创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的延长暴露（PE）中，以解决导致面对面和远程医疗提供的 PE 治疗脱落的障碍。具体来说，那些已经退出 PE 的患者有机会重新接受治疗，这次是与已经完成 PE 的同伴一起，在有限数量的 PE 现场暴露家庭作业试验中与他们一起参加。大约一半退出的退伍军人表示愿意重新接受治疗，并指出同伴是做出这一决定的关键，约三分之一的人实际上重新接受了治疗。参与者报告对该计划非常满意，同伴也是如此。同伴们报告说，他们自己的症状在与患者一起进行暴露家庭作业时没有加重。在军队中，军人被训练利用集体的力量来完成特定任务；而在目前的情况下，这种训练似乎与 PTSD 治疗有关。
