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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Jun;206(6):501-8.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.114.147926. Epub 2015 Apr 9.

Evaluation of cognitive restructuring for post-traumatic stress disorder in people with severe mental illness

Kim T Mueser  1 , Jennifer D Gottlieb  1 , Haiyi Xie  1 , Weili Lu  1 , Philip T Yanos  1 , Stanley D Rosenberg  1 , Steven M Silverstein  1 , Stephanie Marcello Duva  1 , Shula Minsky  1 , Rosemarie S Wolfe  1 , Gregory J McHugo  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Evaluation of cognitive restructuring for post-traumatic stress disorder in people with severe mental illness

Kim T Mueser et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Background: A cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) programme designed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with severe mental illness, including breathing retraining, education and cognitive restructuring, was shown to be more effective than usual services.

Aims: To evaluate the incremental benefit of adding cognitive restructuring to the breathing retraining and education components of the CBT programme (trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00494650).

Method: In all, 201 people with severe mental illness and PTSD were randomised to 12- to 16-session CBT or a 3-session brief treatment programme (breathing retraining and education). The primary outcome was PTSD symptom severity. Secondary outcomes were PTSD diagnosis, other symptoms, functioning and quality of life.

Results: There was greater improvement in PTSD symptoms and functioning in the CBT group than in the brief treatment group, with both groups improving on other outcomes and effects maintained 1-year post-treatment.

Conclusions: Cognitive restructuring has a significant impact beyond breathing retraining and education in the CBT programme, reducing PTSD symptoms and improving functioning in people with severe mental illness.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Consort diagram of flow of participants through study. CBT, Cognitive–behavioural therapy; PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Grubaugh AL, Zinzow HM, Paul L, Egede LE, Frueh BC. Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in adults with severe mental illness: a critical review. Clin Psychol Rev 2011; 31: 883–99. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC, Sonnega A, Bromet E, Hughes M, Nelson CB. Posttraumatic stress disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1995; 52: 1048–60. - PubMed
    1. Lu W, Mueser KT, Rosenberg SD, Jankowski MK. Correlates of adverse childhood events in adults with major mood disorders. Psychiatr Serv 2008; 59: 1018–26. - PubMed
    1. Switzer GE, Dew MA, Thompson K, Goycoolea JM, Derricott T, Mullins SD. Posttraumatic stress disorder and service utilization among urban mental health center clients. J Trauma Stress 1999; 12: 25–39. - PubMed
    1. Kessler RC, Bergland P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2005; 62: 593–602. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data