Trauma-focused CBT Versus EMDR in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Interventions: Behavioral: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Behavioral: Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy

• Registration Number: NCT00716638
• Lead Sponsor: VU University of Amsterdam

Brief Summary

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF-CBT) versus eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in the treatment of trauma survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patients will be randomly assigned to TF-CBT or EMDR. Follow-up assessments will be conducted at 3 and 12 months post-treatment. In addition to comparing the efficacy of the two protocols, an additional focus will lie on identifying predictors for treatment outcome.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2008-07
• Study First Submitted: 2008-07-14
• Study First Submitted QC: 2008-07-14
• Study First Posted: 2008-07-16
• Primary Completion: 2015-11
• Study Completion: 2015-11
• Status Verified: 2018-09
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-09-11
• Last Update Posted: 2018-09-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 30

Inclusion Criteria

• A full diagnosis of PTSD according to the DSM-IV or subthreshold PTSD (criteria for intrusive re-experiencing are fulfilled and either three avoidance/numbing symptoms or two hyperarousal symptoms are present)
• PTSD is related to one or more single-event traumas and participants have a clear memory of this event/these events (sufficient for constructing scenes to be used in exposure)
• Age between 18 and 70
• Sufficient fluency in Dutch to complete treatment and research protocol
• If participants are using anti-depressants, they need to be on a stable dose for at least 2 weeks before the beginning of treatment and remain on this dose throughout the treatment.

Exclusion Criteria

• Dementia or other severe cognitive impairment
• Psychosis
• Depression with suicidal ideation
• Bipolar disorder
• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Anti-social personality disorder
• Substance dependence
• Current use of tranquilizers
• Exposure to prolonged and/or chronic trauma ("type-II-trauma")

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: FACTORIAL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment group 2	Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)	Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Treatment group 1	Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy	Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT)

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
PTSD symptom severity: (a) interviewer rating (PSS-I); (b) self-report (PDS)	Assessed at post-treatment, 3 months and 12 months follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Depressive symptom severity (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI)	assessed at post-treatment, 3 months and 12 months follow-up
Severity of anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory, BAI)	assessed at posttreatment, 3 months and 12 months follow-up
Trauma-related appraisal (Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory, PTCI)	post-treatment

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

PsyQ; 🇳🇱 Zaandam, Netherlands