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Current Psychiatry Reports
Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports 11/2016

01-11-2016 | Disaster Psychiatry: Trauma, PTSD, and Related Disorders (E Foa and A Asnaani, Section Editors)

Psychological Mechanisms of PTSD and Its Treatment

Authors: Rebecca K. Sripada, Sheila A.M. Rauch, Israel Liberzon

Published in: Current Psychiatry Reports | Issue 11/2016

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Abstract

Psychological mechanisms can be defined as processes or events that are responsible for specific changes in psychological outcomes. In psychotherapy research, mechanisms are the factors through which interventions produce change. In this article, we explain the importance of identifying psychological mechanisms, describe methods for identifying them, and analyze recent literature on the psychological mechanisms underlying the development and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on the findings of recent investigations (from 2013 to present), we focus on four putative mechanisms: emotional engagement, extinction and contextualization, distress tolerance, and negative posttraumatic cognitions. Future directions for psychological mechanism research are also outlined, including possible opportunities for capitalizing on the most promising mechanisms identified to date.
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Metadata
Title
Psychological Mechanisms of PTSD and Its Treatment
Authors
Rebecca K. Sripada
Sheila A.M. Rauch
Israel Liberzon
Publication date
01-11-2016
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Psychiatry Reports / Issue 11/2016
Print ISSN: 1523-3812
Electronic ISSN: 1535-1645
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0735-9

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