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Stepped early psychological intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder, other anxiety disorders, and depression following serious injury
Author(s) -
O'Donnell Meaghan L.,
Lau Winnie,
Tipping Susannah,
Holmes Alexander C. N.,
Ellen Steven,
Judson Rodney,
Varker Tracey,
Elliot Peter,
Bryant Richard A.,
Creamer Mark C.,
Forbes David
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.21677
Subject(s) - anxiety , depression (economics) , intervention (counseling) , psychiatry , anxiety disorder , medicine , clinical psychology , traumatic injury , posttraumatic stress , psychological intervention , mental health , cognitive therapy , cognition , psychology , surgery , economics , macroeconomics
The best approach for implementing early psychological intervention for anxiety and depressive disorders after a traumatic event has not been established. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a stepped model of early psychological intervention following traumatic injury. A sample of 683 consecutively admitted injury patients were screened during hospitalization. High‐risk patients were followed up at 4‐weeks postinjury and assessed for anxiety and depression symptom levels. Patients with elevated symptoms were randomly assigned to receive 4–10 sessions of cognitive–behavioral therapy ( n = 24) or usual care ( n = 22). Screening in the hospital identified 89% of those who went on to develop any anxiety or affective disorder at 12 months. Relative to usual care, patients receiving early intervention had significantly improved mental health at 12 months. A stepped model can effectively identify and treat injury patients with high psychiatric symptoms within 3 months of the initial trauma.