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Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Treatment Response in Prolonged Exposure for PTSD
Author(s) -
Sripada Rebecca K.,
Rauch Sheila A. M.,
Tuerk Peter W.,
Smith Erin,
Defever Andrew M.,
Mayer Rebecca A.,
Messina Michael,
Venners Margaret
Publication year - 2013
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.21813
Subject(s) - traumatic brain injury , psychiatry , posttraumatic stress , medicine , injury prevention , poison control , clinical psychology , psychology , emergency medicine
A proportion of U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which is associated with increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prolonged Exposure (PE) has proven effectiveness in the treatment of PTSD; however, some clinicians have reservations about using PE with individuals with a history of mTBI. We examined the impact of PE for veterans with PTSD and with or without a history of mTBI in a naturalistic sample of 51 veterans who received PE at a Veterans Health Administration PTSD clinic. We also analyzed previously collected data from a controlled trial of 22 veterans randomly assigned to PE or present centered therapy. For both sets of data, we found that PE reduced symptom levels and we also did not detect an effect for mTBI, suggesting that PE may be helpful for individuals with PTSD and a history of mTBI.