Inpatient Treatment of Complex PTSD Following Childhood Abuse: Effectiveness and Predictors of Treatment Outcome

Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie
Leonhard KratzerAndrea Jobst

Abstract

There is a lack of studies investigating the effectiveness of inpatient trauma-focused psychotherapy of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The first aim of this retrospective investigation was to analyze the course of PTSD. Second, possible predictors of treatment response were investigated. 150 inpatients of Clinic St. Irmingard with complex PTSD following childhood physical and childhood sexual abuse were assessed regarding childhood abuse, PTSD symptomatology, mindfulness, dissociation and general psychopathology. Differences in pre and post scores were analyzed using regression analyses. A classification tree was used to identify predictors of response. The significant reduction of PTSD symptoms corresponded to a large effect (d=1.8) and a reponse rate of 52% according to the reliable change index (p<0.05). Effect sizes for other symptoms were medium to large (0.5<d<1.1) and both drop-outs (7%) and worsenings (4%) were scarce. Somatoform symptoms, complex dissociative disorders and mindfulness deficits were identified as negative predictors of reliable change. Trauma-focused inpatient treatment is safe and effective for patients with complex PTSD under naturalistic conditions. Yet, despite significant improvements ther...Continue Reading

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