A brief self-guided telehealth intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder in combat veterans: a pilot study

Abstract

To engage more US combat veterans in PTSD treatment, we offered a psychological intervention that could be initiated in primary care and completed using the Internet. Participants (n = 31) were randomized to complete either Written Emotional Disclosure (WED) or time management narratives on a secure Internet website. In the WED group, participants wrote about their thoughts and emotions regarding one traumatic combat experience in three 20-min sessions. Writing instructions encouraged exposure to traumatic memories and cognitive processing of trauma. The intervention was found to be feasible and safe to implement. Although follow-up assessments did not reveal significant group differences in PTSD symptoms, half of the WED participants reported symptom reductions. Content analyses revealed that participants who expressed more emotion and cognitions were significantly more likely to experience decreased PTSD symptoms. WED may have promise as a brief intervention for veterans with PTSD.