Determining person-treatment fit for brief treatment of trauma in a community setting: Which interventions are best for whom?

This study (part of a larger NIH-funded study) compares 3 brief interventions (Psychological First Aid – PFA; Stress Management Therapy – SMT; and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing – EMDR) to determine whether certain interventions are better for certain types of people (considering gender, PTSD severity, substance abuse, childhood trauma, and borderline personality disorder) and trauma (considering time since trauma and trauma type). 87 participants were randomized to 4 active sessions of either PFA, SMT or EMDR. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 1, 3 and 6 months post-intervention and HLM analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Outcomes examined included PTSD symptoms, depression, and physical symptoms. Examination of individual and trauma factors showed that EMDR worked best for those high in baseline PTSD and for those endorsing borderline personality characteristics. SMT worked best for those who reported using marijuana and for those with a trauma of bereavement. PFA worked best for those with a history of childhood sexual abuse and those endorsing a violent trauma. Limitations and future directions are discussed. Results indicate that treatment type may be selected based on individual and trauma factors after a traumatic event, and brief treatments may have great utility, particularly when the need for treatment is high and time/resources are low.

Conference

English

Lindsay Bira
Rick Stuetzle
Gail Ironson