Posttraumatic cognition change trajectories in veterans with PTSD who completed an intensive Cognitive Processing Therapy treatment program

We examined NPC change trajectories in a group of 443 veterans who completed a 2-week intensive CPT program. We identified four NPC trajectory groups termed start high end high, start high end moderate, start moderate end low, and start low end low. Most of the groups showed an increase in NPCs at the midpoint of treatment before ultimately decreasing. As predicted, baseline PTSD symptom severity predicted change trajectory group membership. Also, NPC change trajectories were associated with PTSD severity at the end of treatment such that individuals in smaller NPC change groups had higher PTSD symptoms at the end of treatment, and vice versa. Clinicians can use this knowledge to make predictions of a particular client's NPC change trajectory and set expectations for what progress in treatment may look like, including normalizing increases in NPCs from the start of treatment.PMID:38477982 | DOI:10.1080/16506073.2024.2329246

Source: Behavior Therapy - March 13, 2024 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Daniel Szoke Erin Walker Nicole Christ Dale Smith Philip Held Source Type: research