Effectiveness of three brief treatments for recent traumatic events in a low-SES community setting

Traumatized participants were given individual EMDR, group stress management with a trauma focus, or group psychological first aid.

Article Abstract

“Objective: To determine whether brief treatments provide psychological relief after traumatic events in low-resource communities.

Method: Participants (n = 105) who had experienced a traumatic event within the past 6 months were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 4-session treatments: individual eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), group-administered stress management with a trauma focus (SMT), or group-administered psychological first aid (PFA). Measures administered pretreatment and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month posttreatment included posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, posttraumatic cognitions (PTCI), and depressive symptoms (BDI).

Results: The 3 treatment groups all showed significant declines in PTSD, PTCI, and BDI symptoms over time with large prepost effect sizes (median 1-month: 0.96, 3-month: 1.38, 6-month: 1.10). However, the treatment groups showed significantly different rates of decline, with the EMDR group showing the fastest declines—interaction PTCI: F(1, 237) = 5.85, p = .016; depression:, F(1, 239) = 4.90, p = .028—followed by the SMT and then PFA group. While there were significant differences between the EMDR and PFA groups at the 1- and 3-month follow-ups, there were no significant differences in any of the 3 outcome measures at the 6-month follow-up, nor were there significant differences between groups on PTSD symptoms, F(1, 239) = 2.30, p = .131.

Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence that any of these 3 approaches may be useful in low-resource community settings. Because it gives the quickest relief, EMDR is the preferred approach, followed by SMT, due its ease of administration. PFA provides a reasonable alternative. Where possible, booster sessions should be planned.”

—Description from publisher

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Ironson, G., Hylton, E., Gonzalez, B., Small, B., Freund, B., Gerstein, M., Thurston, F., & Bira, L. (2020). Effectiveness of three brief treatments for recent traumatic events in a low-SES community setting. Psychological Trauma: Theory Research Practice Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000594