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Seeking to Understand the Conditions Under Which Exposure‐Based Writing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is an Effective Approach: A Commentary on Dawson et al. (2020)
Author(s) -
ThompsonHollands Johanna,
Sloan Denise M.,
Marx Brian P.
Publication year - 2021
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.22633
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , psychology , meta analysis , posttraumatic stress , intervention (counseling) , psychotherapist , clinical psychology , exposure therapy , placebo , randomized controlled trial , psychiatry , medicine , alternative medicine , anxiety , surgery , pathology
Exposure‐based writing interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have shown promise when compared with waitlist conditions, placebo writing control conditions, and evidence‐based, trauma‐focused treatments. Recently, Dawson et al. (2020) conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to examine existing published randomized controlled trials investigating exposure‐based writing interventions. The findings were encouraging; however, the studies included in the meta‐analysis had a high degree of methodological heterogeneity. Our own work examining exposure‐based writing as an intervention for PTSD has demonstrated that methodological differences in the structure of exposure‐based writing can have a meaningful impact on treatment outcome. Accordingly, we urge caution in interpreting the meta‐analysis findings reported by Dawson and colleagues and encourage investigation into better understanding the mechanisms underlying exposure‐based writing interventions to further propel this important area of work.