The effectivity of participating in an outpatient intensive treatment program for PTSD for a second time.

Abstract

The present study investigated the effectiveness of participating in an intensive six-day treatment program for PTSD for a second time, as measured by self-reports and structured diagnostic interviews. Furthermore, the was investigated whether treatment effect of patients who participated in the intensive treatment program could be predicted by the treatment effect of the first participation and whether the screenings scores of the participants in both groups show a difference. From a total of 242 patients, 28 participated the intensive treatment program for a second time. All participants had a primary diagnosis of PTSD. PTSD symptoms were measured with the CAPS-5, the self-reported PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the TVAS and SUD-scores. Results established the effectiveness of participation in a second outpatient intensive treatment program for PTSD, based on a statistical significance. This study also finds that patients who participated for a second time show a significantly higher average screening score in comparison to the average screening score of the patients who only participated one time, when entering the first intensive treatment program for PTSD. Treatment effect of the first intensive treatment program proved to have no predictive value for the treatment effect of the second outpatient intensive treatment program for PTSD. Limitations of the current study and suggestions for future research were discussed.