title: Does seeking safety reduce PTSD symptoms in women receiving physical disability compensation?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This secondary analysis investigated the impact of 12 sessions of Seeking Safety (SS) on reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a sample of dually diagnosed women with physical disabilities versus nondisabled (ND) women. SS is an evidence-based and widely implemented manualized therapy for PTSD and/or substance use disorder. It is a present-focused model that promotes coping skills and psychoeducation.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network (NIDA CTN), 353 participants with current PTSD and substance use disorder (SUD) were randomly assigned to partial-dose SS or Women's Health Education (WHE) group therapy conducted in community-based substance abuse treatment programs. The women were categorized as participants with disabilities (PWD; n = 20) or ND (n = 333) based on the question, "Do you receive a pension for a physical disability?" PTSD was assessed on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) at baseline and follow-ups after treatment (1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months).
  
  
  RESULTS
  PWD experienced sustained reductions in PTSD symptoms when treated with SS but not WHE. Indeed, PTSD symptoms of PWD in WHE returned to baseline levels of severity by 12-month follow-up. This pattern of results was not observed among ND women, who sustained improvements on PTSD in both treatment conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest strong potential for using SS to treat PTSD among women with physical disabilities, and speak to the genuine need to address trauma and PTSD more directly with PWD. Our results are also consistent with other findings from the NIDA CTN trial, in which virtually all significant results evidenced SS outperforming WHE.
authors: Treatment Innovations, Newton Centre.
authors: Melissa L
authors: ML
authors: Anderson
authors: Treatment Innovations, Newton Centre.
authors: Lisa M
authors: LM
authors: Najavits
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D017831:Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry); D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome