Abstract
Background: Many Veterans may not benefit from gold-standard evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because they suffer from co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI).
Aims: This pilot study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Trauma Recovery Group in a sample of Veterans with PTSD and SMI.
Methods: Fourteen Veterans with PTSD and SMI were enrolled in a 21-session group-based cognitive behavioral therapy program targeting PTSD. The PTSD Checklist was the primary outcome measure; secondary outcomes included the Participant Health Questionnaire, the Post Traumatic Cognitions Inventory, and the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale.
Results: Seventy-one percent of participants completed the trial. The intervention was associated with a significant reduction of PTSD symptoms and a trend-level reduction of maladaptive post-traumatic cognitions. There was a significant positive correlation between change in PTSD symptoms and change in post-traumatic cognitions.
Conclusions: The findings support the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Trauma Recovery Group for Veterans with co-occurring PTSD and SMI, and suggest that controlled research on the program is warranted.
Declaration of interest
The authors did not receive any financial support and do not hold any financial relationship that may pose a conflict of interest.