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The development of group CBT for the treatment of road-traffic-accident-related post-traumatic stress disorder: a pilot study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2010

Andrew R. Thompson ,
Eamonn Wilde  and
Katherine Boon
Andrew R. Thompson*
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK
Eamonn Wilde
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Health Care, Barnsley NHS Primary Care Trust, Keresforth Centre, Barnsley, UK
Katherine Boon
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK
*
*Author for correspondence: Dr A. R. Thompson, Clinical Psychology Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TP, UK. (email: a.r.thompson@sheffield.ac.uk)
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Abstract

Individually focused CBT for road traffic accident (RTA)-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involving exposure and cognitive restructuring has been shown to be effective. Group CBT interventions provide an opportunity for treatment to be delivered in a cost-effective fashion and may also be ‘normalizing’ for patients, but few evaluations have been published. Many elements of CBT lend themselves well to group presentation, although implementing exposure presents a specific problem. The development and preliminary evaluation of a group (n = 6) targeting RTA-related PTSD is described here. Pre- and post-questionnaire evaluation is accompanied by assessment of patient satisfaction. Four of the group no longer met diagnostic criteria and the remaining two showed clinically significant change in both the number and severity of symptoms. In addition symptoms of depression decreased from the severe to the mild range within the group and there were high levels of participant satisfaction reported. Further research is required to evaluate this and similar packages before group treatment can be advocated as an alternative to individual CBT for PTSD.

Keywords

CBTgroup therapymotor vehicle accidentpost-traumatic stress disorderroad traffic accident
Type
Original Research
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 2 , Issue 1 , March 2009 , pp. 32 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2008

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References

Recommended follow-up reading

Blanchard, EB, Hickling, E (2004). After the Crash: Psychological Assessment and Treatment of Survivors of Motor Vehicle Accidents, 2nd edn. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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