title: Group cognitive behaviour therapy for military service-related post-traumatic stress disorder: effectiveness, sustainability and repeatability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess 12 month outcomes of Australian combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who participated in a 6 week group-based CBT programme at the Toowong Private Hospital. The study population included 496 consecutive admissions to the programme between 1999 and 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-report measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, anger, alcohol use, relationship satisfaction and quality of life parameters were collected at intake and 3, 6 and 12 months post intake.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant and sustained improvements were noted in 12 month outcome measures for PTSD, depression, anxiety, alcohol use, anger, and quality of life. PTSD symptom reduction occurred consistently each year for 9 years and exhibited an aggregated effect size of 0.68.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This naturalistic research demonstrates that treatment administered under clinical conditions produces equivocal magnitudes of positive change in terms of PTSD symptoms when compared with existing efficacy data in individual and group treatments. Further, these symptomatic gains are sustainable and consistently reproducible. The benefits noted from group therapy were seen as independent of whether or not individual treatment was in place.
authors.affiliation: Group Therapy Day Programs, Toowong Private Hospital, Toowong, Queensland 4066, Australia. akhoo@toowongprivatehospital.com.au
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khoo
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Dent
authors.forename: Tian P S
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Oei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*