title: 'It will get even better': preliminary findings from a trauma-focused psychotherapy effectiveness study reveal false positive patients' long-term outcome expectations after the treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is considerable evidence that outcome expectations may predict psychotherapy outcomes. However, little is known about the long-term outcome expectations following the end of the treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' long-term outcome expectations after trauma-focused post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) psychotherapy in a single group effectiveness study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty participants with various traumatic experiences who completed the Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (BEPP) and all the assessments were included into the study. Self-report measures were used to evaluate the therapeutic outcomes: Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up. Subjective Units of Distress Scale was used to measure long-term outcome expectations at post-treatment, asking participants to measure the expected distress in 6 months following the treatment. Assessments at 6-month follow-up were used to estimate the accuracy of patients' expectations of their distress at previous post-treatment assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant decline of PTSD symptoms at post-treatment with large effect sizes was observed. At post-treatment assessment participants expected significant improvement of their condition in 6 months after the treatment. However, therapeutic effects remained stable at the 6-month follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that the PTSD patients, even after successful trauma-focused treatment, tend to expect further significant positive changes. However, therapeutic effects were stable half a year after the psychotherapy, and patients tend to have false expectations about further improvement of their condition.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Evaldas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kazlauskas
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jovarauskaite
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Egle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mazulyte
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Paulius
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Skruibis
authors.affiliation: b Department of General Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Migle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dovydaitiene
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Eimontas
authors.affiliation: a Department of Clinical and Organizational Psychology , Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania.
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zelviene
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D065026:Hope; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PTSD; Post-traumatic stress; expectations; psychotherapy; trauma