A controlled study of imagery rehearsal for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with PTSD: a preliminary report.
Imagery-rehearsal therapy for chronic nightmares was assessed in a randomized, controlled study of sexual assault survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nightmares, sleep quality, and PTSD were assessed at baseline for 169 women, who were randomized into two groups: treatment (n = 87) and wait-list control (n = 82). Treatment consisted of two 3-hr sessions and one 1-hr session conducted over 5 weeks. Of 169 participants, 91 women (Treatment, n = 43, Control, n = 48) completed a 3-month follow-up and 78 did not. At follow-up, nightmare frequency and PTSD severity decreased and sleep quality improved in the treatment group with small to minimal changes in the control group. Treatment effects were moderate to high (Cohen's d ranged from 0.57 to 1.26). Notwithstanding the large dropout rate, imagery-rehearsal therapy is an effective treatment for chronic nightmares in sexual assault survivors with PTSD and is associated with improvement in sleep quality and decreases in PTSD severity.
Krakow
B
B
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, USA. bkrakow@salud.unm.edu
Hollifield
M
M
Schrader
R
R
Koss
M
M
Tandberg
D
D
Lauriello
J
J
McBride
L
L
Warner
T D
TD
Cheng
D
D
Edmond
T
T
Kellner
R
R
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004325:Dreams / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019018:Imagery, Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015996:Survival Rate