Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess 12 month outcomes of Australian combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who participated in a 6 week group-based CBT programme at the Toowong Private Hospital. The study population included 496 consecutive admissions to the programme between 1999 and 2008.
Method: Self-report measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, anger, alcohol use, relationship satisfaction and quality of life parameters were collected at intake and 3, 6 and 12 months post intake.
Results: Statistically significant and sustained improvements were noted in 12 month outcome measures for PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcohol use, anger, and quality of life. PTSD symptom reduction occurred consistently each year for 9 years and exhibited an aggregated effect size of 0.68.
Conclusions: This naturalistic research demonstrates that treatment administered under clinical conditions produces equivocal magnitudes of positive change in terms of PTSD symptoms when compared with existing efficacy data in individual and group treatments. Further, these symptomatic gains are sustainable and consistently reproducible. The benefits noted from group therapy were seen as independent of whether or not individual treatment was in place.
Acknowledgements
We thank David Crompton for establishing the TPH Veterans PTSD group programme and encouraging outcomes research. We thank the ACPMH for collaboration in the collection and processing of data, and Sara Olsen for her advice on statistical matters. We also acknowledge Gordon Smith for his 12 year tenure as coordinator of the programme and finally, and most importantly, all Australian current and ex-service personnel.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.