Abstract
BackgroundExposure to traumatic experiences is a fundamental part of evidence-based trauma-focused cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) but in group settings it is discussed controversially among researchers and practitioners. This study aims to examine the individual participants’ stress level during group sessions with exposure and disclosure of traumatic events.MethodN = 47 traumatized youth (Mage = 17.00, 94% male) participated in a group intervention comprising six 90-min group sessions (exposure in sessions 2–5). It is based on trauma-focused CBT principles. The individual stress level was assessed by the participants and group facilitators at the beginning, during, and at the end of every session.ResultsDuring the sessions including exposure, the stress level of the participants was higher than during sessions without exposure (Z = − 3.79; p ≤ .001). During the exposure sessions, the participants showed significant changes in stress level (d = 0.34–0.87) following an inverse U-shaped trend.ConclusionThe results show that exposure is feasible within the scope of a trauma-focused group intervention for youth. The further dissemination of trauma-focused group treatments is an important component in the mental health care of children and youth who are traumatized.
Highlights
Exposure to traumatic experiences is a fundamental part of evidence-based trauma-focused cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) but in group settings it is discussed controversially among researchers and practitioners
The results show that exposure is feasible within the scope of a trauma-focused group intervention for youth
The further dissemination of trauma-focused group treatments is an important component in the mental health care of children and youth who are traumatized
Summary
Exposure to traumatic experiences is a fundamental part of evidence-based trauma-focused cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) but in group settings it is discussed controversially among researchers and practitioners. In a recent meta-analytic review of exposure in a group format with adult samples, Barrera et al [12] summarize three major concerns about in-group exposure: (1) Vicarious traumatization of group members by hearing details of other group members’ traumatic experiences; (2) unhelpful comparisons between group members’ own traumatic experience and those shared in the group, resulting in a biased perception of their experience, and (3) due to limited number of time and sessions in a group format on the one hand, and the high number of traumatic experiences of all group participants that might need to be addressed on the other hand, the group format might be less efficient than individual treatment None of these claims is backed by research findings but seem to be widely advanced by researchers and clinicians alike
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