Citation

Brinckman B, Alfaro E, Wooten W, Herringa R. J. Affect. Disord. Rep. 2024; 15: e100694.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jadr.2023.100694

PMID

38283688

PMCID

PMC10817702

Abstract

In this review, we summarize current evidence for compassion-based approaches for PTSD and the potential for their application to the adolescent PTSD population. Exposure to traumatic events is common in adolescence and PTSD remains a public health crisis. Accessibility, willingness, and engagement are significant barriers to established treatments for PTSD, with attrition rates as high as 50 %. Compassion-based therapies provide potential solutions to treatment obstacles by providing a non-threatening, transdiagnostic option unburdened by aspects of current trauma treatment which may be associated with treatment resistance (e.g., exposure, trauma narrative, induction of fear). Compassion-based approaches are intuitive for trauma treatment, as compassion activates the self-soothing system, thereby disarming the fear system and promoting affect regulation. Compassion-based treatments demonstrate reductions across a substantial range of PTSD symptoms in adults, however, in adolescents extant literature is sparse, with cross-sectional studies suggesting self-compassion is inversely associated with trauma-related psychopathology. Understanding the impact of compassion-based approaches on adolescent PTSD is warranted as the adolescent developmental period may be a particularly opportune time for this approach. Evaluation of the impact of compassion-based treatment on adolescent PTSD in clinical populations via randomized-controlled studies and comparison of its relative efficacy to current evidence-based practices is warranted.

Language: en

Keywords

Trauma; Adolescents; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Compassion; Compassion-based treatments