At a glance
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A Comparison of Group Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy (G-TBT) to Disorder-Specific Group Psychotherapies in the Recovery of Veterans With PTSD, Major Depression and Related Conditions
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Group Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy and Group Disorder-Specific Therapy (G-DSTs) for Major Depressive Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Completed, enrolled 294 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a brief, efficient, and effective psychotherapy for individuals with depressive and PTSD. However, CBT is largely underutilized within Veteran Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) due to the cost and burden of trainings necessary to deliver the large number of CBT protocols. Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy (TBT), in contrast, is specifically designed to address numerous distinct disorders within a single protocol. The transdiagnostic approach of TBT has the potential to dramatically improve the accessibility of CBT within VAMCs and therefore improve clinical outcomes of Veterans. The proposed research seeks to evaluate the efficacy of a group version of TBT (G-TBT) by assessing clinical outcomes and quality of life in VAMC patients with major depressive disorder and PTSD throughout the course of treatment and in comparison to two existing group disorder-specific therapies (G-DST), CBT for Depression and Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
TBT was developed to address transdiagnostic avoidance via the use of four different types of exposure techniques (situational/in-vivo, physical/interoceptive, thought/imaginal, and \[positive\] emotional/behavioral activation). From the transdiagnostic avoidance perspective, the four exposure practices are matched to the type(s) of avoidance experienced by patients based upon their cluster of symptoms/disorders. Per protocol, the first six sessions of TBT are designed to educate on, prepare for, and practice the four different types of exposure techniques. The next five sessions are focused on practicing and refining exposure practices as participants work through their lists of avoided situations/sensation/thoughts. The final session reviews treatment progress and relapse prevention strategies.
To provide an evidence-based comparison for the G-TBT condition, G-DSTs will be used that are matched to the participant's principal diagnosis. G-DSTs will include groups for the most common principal diagnoses that have VA-approved protocols and training programs, including PTSD (Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD) and Depression (CBT-Depression). Each of these G-DSTs have published manuals for administration and have received extensive support in the literature.