Abstract summary 

In low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) trauma exposure among youth is high, but mental health services are critically under-resourced. In such contexts, abbreviated trauma treatments are needed. To evaluate the efficacy of an abbreviated eight-session version of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) for improving posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms in a sample of South African adolescents. 75 trauma-exposed adolescents (21 males, 54 females; mean age = 14.92, range = 11-19) with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were randomly assigned to eight sessions of TF-CBT or to usual services. At baseline, post-treatment and three-month follow-up, participants completed the Child PTSD Symptom Scale for DSM 5 (CPSS-5) and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The trial is registered on the Pan African Trial Registry (PACTR202011506380839).6. 95% of TF-CBT participants completed treatment while only 47% of TAU participants accessed treatment. Intention-to-treat analyses found that the TF-CBT group had a significantly greater reduction in CPSS-5 PTSD symptom severity at post-treatment (Cohen's  = 0. 60,  < .01) and three-month follow-up (Cohen's  = 0.62,  < . 01), and a greater reduction in the proportion of participants meeting the CPSS-5 clinical cut-off for PTSD at both time points ( = .02 and  = .03, respectively). There was also a significantly greater reduction in depression symptom severity in the TF-CBT group at post-treatment (Cohen's  = 0.51,  = .03) and three-month follow-up (Cohen's  = 0.41,  = .05), and a greater reduction in the proportion of TF-CBT participants meeting the BDI clinical cut-off for depression at both time points ( = .02 and  = .03, respectively). The findings provide preliminary evidence of the efficacy of an abbreviated eight-session version of TF-CBT for reducing PTSD and depression symptoms in a LMIC sample of adolescents with multiple trauma exposure.

Authors & Co-authors:  Kaminer Debra D Simmons Candice C Seedat Soraya S Skavenski Stephanie S Murray Laura L Kidd Martin M Cohen Judith A JA

Study Outcome 

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