Citation

Sripada RK, Rauch SA, Tuerk PW, Smith E, Defever AM, Mayer RA, Messina M, Venners M. J. Trauma. Stress 2013; 26(3): 369-375.

Affiliation

VA Ann Arbor Health Care System/University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.21813

PMID

23696427

Abstract

A proportion of U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which is associated with increased risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prolonged Exposure (PE) has proven effectiveness in the treatment of PTSD; however, some clinicians have reservations about using PE with individuals with a history of mTBI. We examined the impact of PE for veterans with PTSD and with or without a history of mTBI in a naturalistic sample of 51 veterans who received PE at a Veterans Health Administration PTSD clinic. We also analyzed previously collected data from a controlled trial of 22 veterans randomly assigned to PE or present centered therapy. For both sets of data, we found that PE reduced symptom levels and we also did not detect an effect for mTBI, suggesting that PE may be helpful for individuals with PTSD and a history of mTBI.

Language: en