Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb 19:11:395-404.
doi: 10.2147/NDT.S79581. eCollection 2015.

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy with respect to psychological symptoms and recovering autobiographical memory in patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder

Fatemehsadat Akbarian  1 , Hafez Bajoghli  2 , Mohammad Haghighi  3 , Nadeem Kalak  4 , Edith Holsboer-Trachsler  4 , Serge Brand  5
Affiliations

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy with respect to psychological symptoms and recovering autobiographical memory in patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder

Fatemehsadat Akbarian et al. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. .

Abstract

Objectives: Given the persistence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its major impact on everyday life, it is important to identify effective treatments. In additional to pharmacological treatments, psychotherapeutic treatments are also highly effective. The aim of the present study was to investigate, among a sample of patients suffering from PTSD, the influence of an additional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention on their symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and on autobiographical memory.

Methods: A total of 40 patients suffering from PTSD (mean age: 31.64 years; 78.6% female patients) and under psychopharmacological treatment were randomly assigned to an intervention or control condition. The intervention consisted of ten group sessions (one 60-90 minute session per week) of CBT. At baseline and 10 weeks later, a series of self-rating and experts'-rating questionnaires were completed.

Results: Over time, symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety decreased; however, greater improvement was observed in the experimental than the control condition. Likewise, as a general pattern of results, memory performance improved over time, though again this improvement was greater in the experimental condition.

Conclusion: Compared to a control condition, additional CBT improves the treatment of PTSD, with respect to both symptoms and autobiographical memory.

Keywords: PTSD; anxiety; autobiographical memory; depression.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The CONSORT flow diagram shows the number of patients enrolled, randomly assigned to the study conditions, and finally analyzed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association . Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 4th ed. Washington: American Psychiatric Association; 1994.
    1. Health and human rights [webpage on Internet] Post traumatic stress disorder. 2014. Available from: http://www.hhri.org/thematic/ptsd.html.
    1. Difede J, Olden M, Cukor J. Evidence-based treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Annu Rev Med. 2014;65:319–332. - PubMed
    1. van Liempt S, Vermetten E, Geuze E, Westenberg HG. Pharmacotherapy for disordered sleep in post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review. Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2006;21:193–202. - PubMed
    1. Schoenfeld FB, Deviva JC, Manber R. Treatment of sleep disturbances in posttraumatic stress disorder: a review. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49:729–752. - PubMed