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Factors Related to Clinician Attitudes Toward Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD
Author(s) -
Ruzek Josef I.,
Eftekhari Afsoon,
Rosen Craig S.,
Crowley Jill J.,
Kuhn Eric,
Foa Edna B.,
Hembree Elizabeth A.,
Karlin Bradley E.
Publication year - 2014
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.21945
Subject(s) - veterans affairs , specialty , mental health , distress , clinical psychology , exposure therapy , medicine , cognitive behavioral therapy , cognitive therapy , cognition , psychology , psychiatry , anxiety
This study examines pretraining attitudes toward prolonged exposure (PE) therapy in a sample of 1,275 mental health clinicians enrolled in a national PE training program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Attitudes assessed via survey included values placed on outcomes targeted by PE, outcome expectancies (positive expectancies for patient improvement and negative expectancies related to patient deterioration, clinician time burden, and clinician emotional burden), and self‐efficacy for delivering PE. Results indicated that clinicians were receptive to learning PE and had positive expectations about the treatment, but expressed concerns that PE might increase patient distress. Responses varied by clinician characteristics with psychologists, clinicians working in specialty PTSD treatment settings (as opposed to those in mental health clinics and other clinic types), and those with a primarily cognitive–behavioral orientation expressing attitudes that were most supportive of learning and implementing PE across various indicators. Implications for addressing attitudinal barriers to implementation of PE therapy are discussed.