Can Exposure Therapy Be Effective for Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms? A Nonconcurrent Multiple Baseline Design Across 4 Cases.

OBJECTIVE

After a concussion, some patients develop persistent post-concussion symptoms, which interferes with functioning in daily life. A biopsychosocial explanation for the development and continuation of persistent post-concussion symptoms is the fear avoidance model (FAM). This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of an individual 14-week exposure therapy for patients with persistent symptoms after concussion.

PARTICIPANTS

Four participants from a medical psychology outpatient clinic participated in the study. Their age ranged between 51 and 68 years old ( M = 62.8, SD  = 7). The average length of time since the concussion was 10 months.

DESIGN

A single-case experimental design (SCED) with nonconcurrent multiple baselines was used. Participants were randomly assigned to a baseline period (A phase) length between 21 and 42 days. The intervention phase (B phase) consisted of 14 treatment sessions in 14 weeks. The follow-up phase was 12 weeks.

MAIN MEASURES

Participants answered questions on a visual analogue scale about their satisfaction with functioning in daily life, avoidance behavior, and symptoms experience on a daily basis during baseline and on a weekly basis during intervention and follow-up. Additional outcomes included symptom severity, catastrophizing, quality of life, participation, avoidance behavior, and feasibility interviews.

RESULTS

Tau-U yielded significant effects ( P < .05) on all measures when comparing intervention and follow-up with the baseline in 3 out of 4 participants. Satisfaction with daily life increased and avoidance behavior and post-concussion symptoms experienced decreased. Participants and therapists rated the intervention protocol with an average of 8.8 out of 10.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that exposure therapy seems effective and feasible in treating patients with persistent symptoms after concussion in a clinical setting. Larger randomized controlled trials or replication with SCED studies are advised to obtain additional evidence on the effectiveness of exposure for individuals with persistent symptoms after concussion.