Cognitive behavioral therapy for postdisaster distress: a community based treatment program for survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
Many disaster survivors suffer from postdisaster distress regardless of whether or not they meet criteria for specific psychiatric diagnoses. Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Postdisaster Distress (CBT-PD), a ten-session manualized intervention, was developed to address a range of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral reactions to disaster. Trained community-based therapists provided CBT-PD to adult survivors of Hurricane Katrina as part of InCourage, a program sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. Participants (n = 88) who were assessed at referral, pretreatment, intermediate treatment, and posttreatment showed significant and large improvements. The overall pre-post effect size was 1.4 in intention-to-treat analyses. Improvements were comparable for persons with more severe distress and persons with moderate distress at referral. Benefits were maintained at follow-up for the 66 adults who have been assessed.
National Center for PTSD, VA Medical Center, 215 North Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05009, USA. jessica.hamblen@dartmouth.edu
Jessica L
JL
Hamblen
Fran H
FH
Norris
Siobhan
S
Pietruszkiewicz
Laura E
LE
Gibson
April
A
Naturale
Claudine
C
Louis
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003156:Community Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055867:Cyclonic Storms; D004190:Disasters; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult