title: Benefits of a Psychodynamic Group Therapy (PGT) Model for Treating Veterans With PTSD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effectiveness of a treatment model of psychodynamic group therapy (PGT) for combat Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 158 male Veterans with PTSD (mean age = 30.09 years) were assigned to 15 treatment groups of 7-13 patients each. PGT was a 1-year therapy, 1.5 hour, once-a-week sessions administered in the following stages: group building activities, differentiation of group members, intimacy building, and termination. Levels of PTSD and depression symptoms, functioning, and hope were assessed at pretreatment baseline, posttreatment, and 12-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multilevel modeling analyses indicate that our group therapy is associated with reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms at posttreatment, and that these effects were maintained at 12-month follow-up. The results also showed significantly improved patients' functioning by the end of therapy and at the 12-month follow-up point, and that the patients' hope level had increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings show that our model of psychodynamic group therapy is associated with mental improvements in Veterans with PTSD. However, further randomized controlled trials are recommended to establish the advantages of our therapeutic method compared to other modes of therapy.
authors.affiliation: Ruppin Academic Center.|Tel Aviv University.|Israel Defense Force.
authors.forename: Ofir
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.affiliation: Israel Defense Force.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shoval-Zuckerman
authors.affiliation: Israel Defense Force.
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fruchter
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv University.
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bibi
authors.affiliation: Tel Aviv University.
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bar-Haim
authors.affiliation: The Hebrew University, Israel.
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wald
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D064889:Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic / Q000379:methods*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: combat related PTSD; depression; function; hope; psychodynamic group therapy; significant clinical change