title: Evaluating treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder with cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy in a VHA specialty clinic.
abstract: This retrospective chart review evaluates the effectiveness of manualized cognitive processing therapy (CPT) protocols (individual CPT, CPT group only, and CPT group and individual combined) and manualized prolonged exposure (PE) therapy on veterans' posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in one Veterans Health Administration (VHA) specialty clinic. A total of 517 charts were reviewed, and analyses included 178 charts for CPT and 85 charts for PE. Results demonstrated CPT and PE to significantly reduce PTSD Checklist (PCL) scores. However, PE was significantly more effective than CPT after controlling for variables of age, service era, and ethnicity. Additional findings included different outcomes among CPT formats, decreased treatment dropouts for older veterans, and no significant differences in outcome between Hispanic and White veterans. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.
authors.affiliation: South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, 5788 Eckhert Road, San Antonio, TX 78240, United States. Electronic address: Matthew.Jeffreys@va.gov.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jeffreys
authors.affiliation: South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, 5788 Eckhert Road, San Antonio, TX 78240, United States.
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reinfeld
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, United States.
authors.forename: Prakash V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, 5788 Eckhert Road, San Antonio, TX 78240, United States.
authors.forename: Hector A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, 5788 Eckhert Road, San Antonio, TX 78240, United States.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mata-Galan
authors.affiliation: South Texas Veterans Healthcare System, 5788 Eckhert Road, San Antonio, TX 78240, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Rentz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007171:Implosive Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognitive processing therapy; Evidence based treatment; Health services; Mental health; PTSD; Prolonged exposure therapy; Psychotherapy; Translational research; Treatment; Veterans