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BRIEF EXPOSURE THERAPY FOR THE RELIEF OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER: A SINGLE CASE EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 June 2004

John Sharp  and
Colin A. Espie
John Sharp
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Scotland
Colin A. Espie
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow, Scotland
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Abstract

The present study tested the effectiveness of Vaughan and Tarrier's (1992) Image Habituation Training (IHT) in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using a single case experimental design. The intervention was a brief exposure treatment involving one therapist-led training session and 12 self-directed homework sessions. Assessment measures were taken at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up. Decreases demonstrated in direct standardized measures of PTSD, anxiety, and depression were consistent with previous research. The mechanisms underlying the treatment effect were also investigated. Measures of image intensity, image-related anxiety, and belief in a dysfunctional cognition were taken at session-start, mid-session, and session-end. Decreases in between and within homework sessions using these three measures suggested that the processes responsible for change are complex and interactive. The findings from this study demonstrate the effectiveness of IHT as a brief exposure therapy for PTSD and highlight the need for further research aimed at eliciting the mechanisms of change.

Keywords

Image habituation trainingexposure therapypost-traumatic stress disorderhabituationbrief treatmentsingle-case design
Type
Brief Clinical Reports
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 32 , Issue 3 , July 2004 , pp. 365 - 369
Copyright
© 2004 British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

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Footnotes

An extended version of this brief clinical report is available online in the table of contents for this issue: http://journals.cambridge.org/jid_BCP
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