Complex PTSD and treatment outcomes in TF-CBT for youth: A naturalistic study
Date
2022
Journal Title
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Publisher
European Journal of Psychotraumatology
Abstract
Background: Complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) has recently been added to the
ICD-11 diagnostic system for classification of diseases. The new disorder adds three symptom
clusters to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to disturbances in self-organization (affect
dysregulation, negative self-concept, and disturbances in relationships). Little is known whether
recommended evidence-based treatments for PTSD in youth are helpful for youth with CPTSD.
Objectives: This study examined whether Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
(TF-CBT) is useful in reducing PTSD and CPTSD in traumatized youth.
Methods: Youth (n = 73, 89.0% girls,M age = 15.4 SD = 1.8) referred to one of 23 Norwegian child
and adolescent mental health clinics that fulfilled the criteria for PTSD or CPTSD according to
ICD-11 and received TF-CBT were included in the study. Assessments were conducted pretreatment, and every fifth session. Linear mixed effects models were run to investigate
whether youth with CPTSD and PTSD responded differently to TF-CBT.
Results: Among the 73 youth, 61.6% (n = 45) fulfilled criteria for CPTSD and 38.4% (n = 28)
fulfilled criteria for PTSD. There were no differences in sex, age, birth country, trauma type,
number of trauma types or treatment length across groups. Youth with CPTSD had a steeper
decline in PTSD and CPTSD compared to youth with PTSD. The groups reported similar levels
of PTSD and CPTSD post-treatment. The percentage of youth who dropped out of treatment
was not different across groups. Further, the groups did not differ significantly in number of
received treatment sessions.
Conclusions: This is the first study to examine whether TF-CBT is helpful for youth who have
CPTSD using a validated instrument for measuring CPTSD. The results suggest that TF-CBT
may be useful for treating CPTSD in youth. These are promising findings that should be
replicated in studies with larger sample sizes.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
complex ptsd, treatment, TF-CBT, International Resources, Norway, adolescent mental health
Citation
Jensen, T. K., Braathu, N., Birkeland, M. S., Ormhaug, S. M., & Skar, A. M. S. (2022). Complex PTSD and treatment outcomes in TF-CBT for youth: a naturalistic study. European journal of psychotraumatology, 13(2), 2114630.