The effectiveness of an online-delivered intensive treatment programme for PTSD, combining PE, EMDR therapy, physical activity and psycho-education

During the global outbreak of COVID-19, psychiatric patients reported increased symptoms and poorer access to services and support. Psychical measures aimed at reducing contagion, forced clinicians to look for distant-delivered PTSD treatments. So far, few studies have conducted head-to-head comparison between of traditional in-person treatments and telehealth-delivered treatments. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an online intensive trauma-focused treatment programme over 6 days for individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, this non-randomized study evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment online-delivered in comparison to face-to-face delivered. Effects were monitored up to 6-month after treatment. Treatment was provided for a total of 159 patients (145 face-to-face treatment; 14 online treatment) and consisted of daily sessions of prolonged exposure (PE) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy (12 sessions in total), physical activity and psycho-education. PTSD symptom severity was assessed by both clinician-rated (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale CAPS) and self-report (PTSD Checklist PCL-5; Visual Analog Scales VAS). Depression and psychopathology symptoms were assessed by self-report (Brief Symptom Inventory BSI; Beck Depression Inventory BDI-II). From screening to 4-week and 6-month follow up, patients showed significant improvements in PTSD symptoms. From pre-treatment to 1-week, 4-week and 6 month-follow up, patients showed significant improvements in depression- and psychopathology symptoms. More than half of the patients lost their PTSD diagnoses. In comparison to the face-to-face treatment group, patients in the online treatment group showed equal effect. These results indicate that an online-delivered intensive treatment program combining PE, EMDR combining PE, EMDR, physical activity and psycho-education is a potentially effective treatment for patients suffering from PTSD.

Dissertation/Thesis

English

S. E. Feenstra

Feenstra, S. E. (2021). The effectiveness of an online-delivered intensive treatment programme for PTSD, combining PE, EMDR therapy, physical activity and psycho-education. (Masters thesis, Utrecht University)