Narrative exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in tortured refugees: a preliminary uncontrolled trial.

Joar Øveraas Halvorsen, Håkon Stenmark

Journal: Scandinavian journal of psychology 2011;51(6):495-502

PMID: 20487410

Abstract

Torture has severe mental health effects, especially in terms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, there is still a lack of empirical treatment studies. The present paper presents data on 16 torture survivors receiving 10 sessions of narrative exposure therapy (NET). Symptoms of PTSD and depression, assessed by Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), decreased significantly from pre-treatment to 6-month follow-up, with Cohen's d effect sizes of 1.16 and 0.84, respectively. Although treatment gains were moderate, further research on evidence-based treatments for PTSD and depression in refugee torture survivors is warranted.

Address: Centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention, Mid-Norway, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway. [email protected]

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2010.00821.x

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https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2010.00821.x

MeSH Terms: Adult, Analysis of Variance, Depression, Female, Humans, Implosive Therapy, Life Change Events, Male, Middle Aged, Narration, Pilot Projects, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Refugees, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Survivors, Torture, Treatment Outcome