Differential effects of comorbid psychiatric disorders on treatment outcome in posttraumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma
This study examined the impact of comorbidities on the outcome of two specific PTSD treatments: either EMDR or imagery rescripting (IR).
Article Abstract
“Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently have comorbid diagnoses such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders (AD). Studies into the impact of these comorbidities on the outcome of PTSD treatment have yielded mixed results. The different treatments investigated in these studies might explain the varied outcome. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of these comorbidities on the outcome of two specific PTSD treatments. MDD and AD were analyzed as predictors and moderators in a trial comparing 12 sessions of either eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or imagery rescripting (IR) in 155 adult patients with PTSD from childhood trauma. The primary outcome was reduction of PTSD symptoms (clinician-administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, CAPS-5) assessed at eight-week follow-up and a secondary outcome was self-report PTSD symptoms (Impact of Event Scale, IES-R). MDD was not a predictor of treatment outcome but did have a significant moderator effect. Patients with MDD showed a better outcome if they were treated with IR, whereas patients without MDD improved more in the EMDR condition. No impact of AD emerged. It seems essential to consider comorbid MDD when planning PTSD treatment to improve treatment outcomes. More research is needed to replicate our findings and focus on different kinds of PTSD treatments and other comorbidities.”
—Description from publisher
Article Access
Open Access
Assmann, N., Fassbinder, E., Schaich, A., Lee, C. W., Boterhoven de Haan, K., Rijkeboer, M., & Arntz, A. (2021). Differential effects of comorbid psychiatric disorders on treatment outcome in posttraumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(16), 3708. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10163708
Date
August 20, 2021
Creator(s)
Nele Assmann, Eva Fassbinder, Anja Schaich
Contributor(s)
Christopher W. Lee, Katrina Boterhoven de Haan, Marleen Rijkeboer, Arnoud Arntz
Topics
Anxiety/Panic/Phobias, Depression, PTSD
Extent
14 pages
Rights
Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
APA Citation
Assmann, N., Fassbinder, E., Schaich, A., Lee, C. W., Boterhoven de Haan, K., Rijkeboer, M., & Arntz, A. (2021). Differential effects of comorbid psychiatric disorders on treatment outcome in posttraumatic stress disorder from childhood trauma. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 10(16), 3708. Open access: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10163708
Audience
EMDR Therapists, Other Mental Health Professionals
Language
English
Content Type
Article, Peer-Reviewed, RCT
Access Type
External Resource, Open Access