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Current Psychiatry Reports
Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports 4/2015

01-04-2015 | Disaster Psychiatry: Trauma, PTSD, and Related Disorders (E Foa and A Asnaani, Section Editors)

Psychological Mechanisms of Effective Cognitive–Behavioral Treatments for PTSD

Author: Alyson K. Zalta

Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports | Issue 4/2015

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Abstract

Several psychotherapies have been established as effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and cognitive therapy for PTSD. Understanding the key mechanisms of these treatments, i.e., how these treatments lead to therapeutic benefits, will enable us to maximize the efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency of these therapies. This article provides an overview of the theorized mechanisms for each of these treatments, reviews the recent empirical evidence on psychological mechanisms of these treatments, discusses the ongoing debates in the field, and provides recommendations for future research. Few studies to date have examined whether changes in purported treatment mechanisms predict subsequent changes in treatment outcomes. Future clinical trials examining treatments for PTSD should use study designs that enable researchers to establish the temporal precedence of change in treatment mechanisms prior to symptom reduction. Moreover, further research is needed that explores the links between specific treatment components, underlying change mechanisms, and treatment outcomes.
Footnotes
1
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing has also been established as an effective treatment for PTSD and is recommended by practice guidelines. To date, no studies have examined the underlying mechanisms of EMDR; rather, research has focused heavily on identifying the importance of specific treatment techniques (i.e., whether bilateral stimulation is a necessary component of treatment). Given that there are no empirical studies on the underlying mechanisms of EMDR, this treatment is not discussed in the current review.
 
2
Doss refers to treatment components as “change processes,” therapy techniques as “therapy change processes,” and patient events as “client change processes” in his article. The terms “process” and “mechanism” are often used interchangeably in the psychotherapy literature. Because Doss’ original terms may be confusing for readers, I have modified these terms to more closely reflect the nature of these constructs.
 
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Metadata
Title
Psychological Mechanisms of Effective Cognitive–Behavioral Treatments for PTSD
Author
Alyson K. Zalta
Publication date
01-04-2015
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Psychiatry Reports / Issue 4/2015
Print ISSN: 1523-3812
Electronic ISSN: 1535-1645
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-015-0560-6

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