Patterns Of Symptom Change Research Articles

Evaluating Criteria for Symptoms Suggestive of Early Osteoarthritis Over Two Years Post-ACL Reconstruction: Data from the New Zealand ACL Registry.

The objectives were to determine the prevalence of meeting criteria for symptoms suggestive of early osteoarthritis (OA) following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) and to characterize the longitudinal changes in these symptoms during the first two years post-ACLR. We analyzed data from 10231 patients aged 14-40 years in the New Zealand ACL Registry who completed the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) at 6, 12, and 24 months post-ACLR. Symptoms suggestive of early OA were defined as scoring ≤85% on at least 2 of 4 KOOS subscales. Longitudinal patterns of change were categorized as persistent, resolution, new, inconsistent, or no symptoms across the three visits. Prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) of symptoms were compared across visits, sex, and age groups using generalized estimating equations, and longitudinal patterns of symptom change were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression. Prevalence of meeting criteria of symptoms suggestive of early OA was 68% at 6 months, 54% at 12 months, and 46% at 24 months post-ACLR. Longitudinally, 33% had persistent symptoms, 23% had no symptoms, 29% showed symptom resolution, 6% developed new symptoms, and 9% had inconsistent symptoms. Females consistently showed higher odds of symptoms (OR range:1.17-1.52). Older age groups demonstrated higher odds of symptoms, particularly at 6 months (OR range:1.64-2.45). Symptoms suggestive of early OA are highly prevalent within two years post-ACLR, with one-third of patients experiencing persistent symptoms. These findings indicate that symptoms are more likely to persist rather than newly develop, emphasizing the importance of early identification and targeted interventions.

Patterns of sub-optimal change following CBT for childhood anxiety.

Children and adolescents demonstrate diverse patterns of symptom change and disorder remission following cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. To better understand children who respond sub-optimally to CBT, this study investigated youths (N = 1,483) who continued to meet criteria for one or more clinical anxiety diagnosis immediately following treatment or at any point during the 12 months following treatment. Data were collected from 10 clinical sites with assessments at pre-and post-treatment and at least once more at 3, 6 or 12-month follow-up. Participants were assigned to one of three groups based on diagnostic status for youths who: (a) retained an anxiety diagnosis from post to end point (minimal responders); (b) remitted anxiety diagnoses at post but relapsed by end point (relapsed responders); and (c) retained a diagnosis at post but remitted to be diagnosis free at end point (delayed responders). Growth curve models assessed patterns of change over time for the three groups and examined predictors associated with these patterns including demographic, clinical and parental factors, as well as treatment factors. Higher primary disorder severity, being older, having a greater number of anxiety disorders, having social anxiety disorder, as well as higher maternal psychopathology differentiated the minimal responders from the delayed and relapsed responders at the baseline. Results from the growth curve models showed that severity of the primary disorder and treatment modality differentiated patterns of linear change only. Higher severity was associated with significantly less improvement over time for the minimal and relapsed response groups, as was receiving group CBT, when compared to the delayed response group. Sub-optimal response patterns can be partially differentiated using variables assessed at pre-treatment. Increased understanding of different patterns of change following treatment may provide direction for clinical decision-making and for tailoring treatments to specific groups of clinically anxious youth. Future research may benefit from assessing progress during treatment to detect emerging response patterns earlier.

Location-scale modeling as an integrative approach to symptom dynamics during psychotherapy: An illustration with depressive symptoms.

Depressive symptom dynamics, including change trajectories and symptom variability, have been related to therapy outcomes. However, such dynamics have often been examined separately and related to outcomes of interest using two-step analyses, which are characterized by several limitations. Here, we show how to overcome these limitations using location-scale models in a dynamic structural equation modeling framework. We introduce location-scale modeling in an accessible manner to pave the way for its use in research integrating within-person dynamics and intervention-related change in psychopathology, and we illustrate this modeling approach in a large-scale internet-based intervention for depression (N = 1,656). Using eight data points sampled across about 8 weeks, we predicted improvement across the intervention (50% symptom reduction) as a function of early change and symptom variability. Early symptom change was associated with a more likely improvement across therapy. Variability of symptoms beyond change trajectories during the intervention was associated with less likely improvement. Location-scale models, and dynamic structural equation modeling more generally, are well suited to modeling how patterns of symptom change during psychotherapy are related to important (e.g., therapy) outcomes. Our illustrative application of location-scale modeling showed that symptom variability was associated with less overall improvement in depressive symptoms. However, this finding requires replication with more intensive sampling of symptoms before final conclusions can be drawn on when and how to distinguish maladaptive from adaptive variability during psychotherapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of PTSD treatment on postconcussive symptoms in veterans: A comparison of sertraline, prolonged exposure, and their combination

Many Veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan struggle with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the effects of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Some people with a history of TBI report a constellation of somatic, cognitive, and emotional complaints that are often referred to as postconcussive symptoms (PCS). Research suggests these symptoms may not be specific to TBI. This study examined the impact of PTSD treatment on PCS in combat Veterans seeking treatment for PTSD. As part of a larger randomized control trial, 198 Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation New Dawn (OIF/OEF/OND) Veterans with PTSD received Prolonged Exposure Therapy, sertraline, or the combination. Potential deployment related TBI, PCS, PTSD and depression symptoms were assessed throughout treatment. Linear mixed models were used to predict PCS change over time across the full sample and treatment arms, and the association of change in PTSD and depression symptoms on PCS was also examined. Patterns of change for the full sample and the subsample of those who reported a head injury were examined. Results showed that PCS decreased with treatment. There were no significant differences across treatments. No significant differences were found in the pattern of symptom change based on TBI screening status. Shifts in PCS were predicted by change PTSD and depression. Results suggest that PCS reduced with PTSD treatment in this population and are related to shift in depression and PTSD severity, further supporting that reported PCS symptoms may be better understood as non-specific symptoms.

Depressive Symptom Change Patterns during the COVID‐19 Pandemic and Their Impact on Psychiatric Treatment Seeking: A 24‐Month Observational Study of the Adult Population

Despite the presence of individual differences in the depressive symptom change in adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic, most studies have investigated population‐level changes in depression during the first year of the pandemic. This longitudinal repeated‐measurement study obtained 39,259 observations from 4,361 adults assessed nine times over a 24‐month period in Norway (March 2020 to March 2022). Using a Latent Change Score Mixture Model to investigate differential change patterns in depressive symptoms, five profiles were identified. Most adults revealed a consistently resilient (42.52%) or predominantly resilient pattern differentiated by an initial shock in symptomatology (13.17%). Another group exhibited consistently high depressive adversities (8.5%). One group showed mild deterioration with small increases in depressive symptomatology compared to onset levels (29.04%), and a second strong deterioration group exhibited clinically severe levels of gained symptoms over time (6.77%). Both deteriorating depressive symptom change patterns predicted the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis and treatment seeking at the end of the study period. Together, the absence of a preexisting psychiatric diagnosis at the onset of the pandemic and severe symptom increases during, combined with reports of psychiatric treatment seeking and diagnosis at the end of the study period, indicated that the strongly deteriorating subgroup represents an additional and newly emerged group of adults struggling with depressive problems. Factors related to general adverse change (lower education levels, lone residence), initial shocks prior to recovery (frequent information seeking, financial and occupational concerns), and resilience and recovery (older age, being in a relationship, physical activity) were identified. Binge drinking and belonging to an ethnic minority were influential predictors of the strongly deteriorating group. All major change patterns in depressive symptoms occurred during the first 3 months of the pandemic, suggesting this period represents a window of sensitivity for the development of long‐lasting depressive states versus patterns of recovery and resilience. These findings call for increased vigilance of psychiatric symptoms during the initial phases of infectious disease outbreaks and highlight a specific target period for the implementation of preventive measures.

Comparing counseling outcome for college students: Metaverse and in-person approaches

ABSTRACT Objective This study compared metaverse counseling with in-person counseling, using in-person counseling as a comparison group. To achieve this, we assessed whether metaverse counseling, a novel treatment approach, is comparable to traditional in-person counseling. Method: A total of 60 participants voluntarily participated in the study. Among the participants, 28 preferred in-person counseling, whereas 32 selected metaverse counseling as their preferred treatment option. Results and Conclusion: The findings indicated no statistically significant differences in the psychological symptom change patterns between the two counseling modalities. Both metaverse and in-person counseling demonstrated a common pattern of reduced symptom levels from pre-to post-session (Metaverse counseling Cohen’s d = 1.04, In-person counseling Cohen’s d = .62), which remained stable from post-session to follow-up regardless of the chosen counseling modality. Furthermore, the study revealed that the metaverse counseling group exhibited a higher level of working alliances than the in-person counseling group. Additionally, there was a slight tendency toward higher levels of counseling satisfaction in the metaverse counseling group than in the in-person counseling group. The results of this study support the use of synchronous metaverse programs to treat college students. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed. (195 words)

Within-day sudden gains and generalized anxiety disorder psychotherapy outcome.

According to dynamic systems theory, initial symptom instability is necessary for long-term stable change to occur from psychotherapy. Such instability may be assessed using within-day sudden gains (SGs), sudden losses (SLs), and reversals. The present study examined these symptom change patterns and their association with treatment outcome using intensive diary assessment across three psychotherapies for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). In a secondary analysis of Borkovec and Costello (1993), 59 clients diagnosed with GAD were randomly assigned to applied relaxation (AR; n = 21), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; n = 20), or nondirective (ND) therapy (n = 18). Clients completed thrice daily anxiety ratings while receiving psychotherapy. The occurrence of SGs, SLs, and reversals assessed for each individual was calculated using changes between each assessment. We examined the association between occurrence of SGs, SLs, and reversals and symptom change from pretreatment to posttreatment, and 6-month, and 1-year follow-up. Clients in ND (61.1%) were more likely to experience SGs than clients in CBT (20.0%) or AR (38.0%). 92.9% of SGs were followed by a reversal. Experiencing SGs was associated with less symptom change from pretreatment to follow-up in ND and not associated with outcome in CBT or AR. SLs and reversals were not associated with outcome. When measured at a within-day level, SGs are very likely to be reversed and may be associated with poorer long-term outcome in ND. Within-day SGs may have a fundamentally different meaning than session-to-session SGs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal Subgrouping of Patients With Cancer Based on Symptom Experiences: An Integrative Review.

The purpose of this integrative review is to identify literature describing (a) subgrouping patients with cancer based on symptom experiences and their patterns of symptom changes over time and (b) methodologies of subgrouping patients with cancer based on symptom experiences. PubMed®, CINAHL®, and PsycINFO® were searched through January 2019. Studies were appraised for patterns of symptom change over time and methodologic approach using the QualSyst quality rating scale. 11 studies met inclusion criteria. Clinical variables that influence symptom patterns were diverse. The most common clustering method was latent variable analysis (73%), and all studies collected symptom data prospectively using survey analysis to assess symptoms. The majority of studies (91%) observed that the symptom experience within the group of patients with cancer changed over time. Identifying groups of patients with similar symptom experiences is useful to determine which patients need more intensive symptom management over the trajectory of cancer treatment, which is essential to improve symptoms and quality of life.

Massed Cognitive Processing Therapy in Active-Duty Military: A Case Series

Despite consistent evidence that Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is an efficacious treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the effects among active-duty service members and veterans have been smaller than for civilians. Modifications to standard delivery may be needed to increase treatment engagement and completion, which could improve outcomes in this population. Delivering CPT in a massed format may reduce barriers to care and enable more rapid symptom reduction, yet clinicians and patients may have concerns about the tolerability and practicality of such interventions. This case series describes a course of CPT delivered in 5 days in a mixed group and individual format among 4 active-duty military service members as part of a larger randomized clinical trial. Although the pattern of symptom change differed between patients, most demonstrated clinically significant reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms during the 5-day treatment. Patients reported that the pace was tolerable and that the mixed group and individual format was beneficial. Although further research is needed to understand the longer-term outcomes of massed CPT, this therapy format has important implications for the future delivery of treatments for PTSD.

Self-critical perfectionism, dependency and entropy during cognitive behavioural therapy for depression.

This study examined whether 'personality vulnerability' (i.e., self-critical perfectionism or dependency) predicts the trajectory of change, as well as variability and instability (i.e., entropy) of symptoms, during cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for depression. Study participants were outpatients (N=312) experiencing a primary mood disorder. Participants received CBT for depression group sessions over 15weeks. Self-report measures of self-critical perfectionism, dependency, and depression were collected longitudinally. A latent growth mixture modelling (LGMM) statistical approach was used to evaluate the presence of latent classes of individuals based on their longitudinal pattern of symptom change during CBT and to evaluate whether baseline self-critical perfectionism or dependency predicts class membership. A Latent Acceleration Score (LAS) model evaluated whether perfectionism or dependency led to variability in depression symptom change (e.g., velocity) by considering changes in velocity (e.g., acceleration and/or deceleration). LGMM indicated the presence of two latent classes that represent symptom improvement (N=239) or minimal symptom improvement over time (N=73). Elevated baseline self-critical perfectionism, but not dependency, predicted a greater likelihood of membership in the class of participants who demonstrated minimal symptom improvement over time. The second analysis examined whether baseline self-critical perfectionism also predicts depression symptom variability and instability. The LAS perfectionism model demonstrated that perfectionism accelerates depression symptom change during the first seven sessions of treatment, then has a decelerating effect on depression symptom change. Results indicated that higher baseline self-critical perfectionism predicted higher variability and instability in depression symptoms and variability in acceleration and deceleration, over the course of treatment.

Distinct patterns of emotional and behavioral change in child psychiatry outpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundStudies are documenting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health. We extended this literature by characterizing a child psychiatric outpatient sample in the United States during the middle of the 2020–2021 school year. We also used a computational strategy to identify distinct patterns of psychopathology symptom change and examined correlates and predictors of such change. Among potential predictors were cognition and clinical diagnoses, which have not been studied in this context previously.MethodsParticipants were 171 youth (aged 10.6 ± 3.1) referred for neuropsychiatric evaluation who enrolled in research and whose parents filled out a survey on COVID-19. The questionnaire included eight psychiatric and six psychosocial domains rated retrospectively prior to the pandemic and currently at the time of evaluation. We examined change in severity of individual domains with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. We used a latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify groups with distinct symptom change profiles. Using multinomial logistic regression, we examined potential predictors and correlates of LPA-derived groups. Models controlled for age, sex, and assessment date and corrected for multiple testing.ResultsAlthough the majority of individual psychopathology domains were worse on average during the 2020–2021 school year, youth showed distincive patterns of symptom change. In addition to a large group (72.2%) with relatively stable symptoms and a small group (6.4%) that improved on most symptoms, there were two groups with different constellations of worsening symptoms. These latter groups both showed increased sadness, anxiety and oppositionality; however, one had increased hyperactivity/impulsivity and no change in hopelessness while the other showed greater hopelessness and no change in hyperactivity. Symptoms related to the distinguishable domains of these groups predicted group membership, and changes in screen time, conflict with parents and social isolation were correlates of worsening. Cognition and lifetime clinical diagnoses failed to predict group membership.ConclusionsIn youth outpatients, psychiatric and psychosocial difficulties were worse on average during the school year following the spring 2020 COVID-19 lockdown; yet, some youth experienced greater and distinctive symptom change. A personalized approach to support may be needed as youth emerge from this period.

Temporal dynamics of symptom change among veterans receiving an integrated treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders.

The present study examined temporal patterns of symptom change during treatment for comorbid posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs). We hypothesized that PTSD symptom severity would predict subsequent-session substance use and that this association would be particularly strong among patients who received an integrated treatment versus SUD-only treatment. Participants were 81 United States military veterans with current PTSD and an SUD who were enrolled in a 12-week, randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of an integrated treatment called Concurrent Treatment of PTSD and Substance Use Disorders Using Prolonged Exposure (COPE) compared with cognitive behavioral relapse prevention therapy (RP). Lagged multilevel models indicated that PTSD symptom improvement did not significantly predict the likelihood of next-session substance use (likelihood of use: B = 0.03, SE = 0.02, p = .141; percentage of days using B = -0.02, SE = 0.01, p = .172. Neither substance use, B = 1.53, SE = 1.79, p = .391, nor frequency of use, B = 0.26, SE = 0.50, p = .612, predicted next-session PTSD symptom severity in either treatment condition. Stronger associations between PTSD symptoms and next-session substance use were expected given the self-medication hypothesis. Additional research is needed to better understand the temporal dynamics of symptom change as well as the specific mediators and mechanisms underlying symptom change.

Symptom change trajectories in patients with persistent somatic symptoms and their association to long-term treatment outcome

Objective: This study investigated symptom change trajectory for patients with persistent somatic symptoms (PSS) during psychotherapy and the association of these patterns with pre-treatment characteristics and long-term outcome. Methods: Growth mixture modeling was used to identify trajectory curves in a sample of N = 210 outpatients diagnosed with PSS and treated either with conventional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or CBT enriched with emotion regulation training (ENCERT). Results: We identified three subgroups of patients with similar symptom change patterns over the course of treatment (a “no change,” “strong response,” and “slow change” subgroup). Higher initial anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with the no change and strong response subgroups; symptom-related disability in daily routine with no changes. Patients with a strong response had the highest proportion of reliable improvement at termination and at six-month-follow-up. Conclusion: Our results indicate that, instead of one common change pattern, patients with PSS respond differently to treatment. Due to the high association of symptom curves with long-term outcome, the identification and prediction of an individual’s trajectory could provide important information for clinicians to identify non-responding patients that are at risk for failure. Selecting personalized treatment interventions could increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01908855..

Changes in symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

AimsTo describe changes in symptoms and identify distinct subgroups of symptoms, to determine whether the sample's characteristics predicted changes in symptoms, and to examine how changes in symptoms predicted changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over 6 months in patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). BackgroundDifferent patterns of changes in symptoms and their relationship to changes in HRQOL in patients with exacerbated COPD over long periods of time have been understudied. MethodsIn this longitudinal study, participants with COPD (N = 42) had been admitted to a medical ward or had visited a pulmonary medicine clinic for treatment of exacerbation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data from questionnaires that assessed symptoms and HRQOL at baseline, daily symptoms over 6 months, and HRQOL at 6 months after exacerbation. ResultsNot all participants experienced improved symptoms over time. Two sets of subgroups (improving &worsening; constantly better &constantly worse) emerged, based on 6-month changes in symptoms. Sample characteristics of the improving and worsening subgroups were similar, whereas usual dyspnea and HRQOL were significantly different in the constantly better and constantly worse subgroups. Little change in HRQOL was found in the total sample, but HRQOL deteriorated in the worsening subgroup, although deterioration was not meaningful. Changes in symptoms significantly predicted changes in HRQOL over 6 months. ConclusionAssessing patients' symptoms after exacerbations of COPD may enable health care providers to identify those at risk of future exacerbations and poorer HRQOL.0

Self-Criticism and Personality Functioning Predict Patterns of Symptom Change in Major Depressive Disorder.

Aim of the study was to identify patient variables that predict specific patterns of symptom course during and after hospital treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). In a sample of 518 patients, four pairs of clinically relevant patterns of symptom change were contrasted. The time points of measurement were admission, discharge, 3 and 12 month after discharge. CATREG was used to identify the best sets of predictors from 28 variables. A greater reduction in self-criticism during hospital treatment was the strongest predictor of rapid and sustained improvement. Traumatic childhood experiences and lower abilities for communication with others predicted a transient relapse after discharge, while a co-morbid personality disorder and higher level of anxiety differentiated between those with a persistent relapse and those with only a transient relapse in depressive symptoms following discharge. Overall, patients with less severe depression at admission, better abilities in self-perception, and less self-criticism (baseline and/or greater reduction during treatment) showed a better outcome after 1 year. There is limited generalizability to other countries and treatment settings. Data on personality functioning were not available for all patients and findings are correlational in nature. However, findings are in support of a psychotherapeutic focus on a reduction of self-criticism in MDD. Patient with traumatization, a co-morbid personality disorder and lower abilities to communicate their emotional needs should get specific attention and support after discharge from hospital treatment.

Typical symptom change patterns and their predictors in patients with social anxiety disorder: A latent class analysis

ObjectivesThe use of trajectories and analysis of change patterns is a promising way toward better differentiation of subgroups in psychotherapy studies. Research on change patterns in social anxiety disorder (SAD) are still rare, although SAD is one of the most common mental disorders. In a secondary analysis of data from the SOPHO-NET-trial (ISRCTN53517394) this study aimed to investigate change patterns and their predictors in a sample of SAD patients. MethodsPatients with SAD (N = 357) were randomly assigned to cognitive-behavioral or psychodynamic therapy. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) was assessed at 1st session (pre), 8th session, 15th session and at the end of treatment (post). We used latent state variables and latent class analysis for the classification of change patterns and logistic regression for the identification of different predictors. ResultsAnalyses revealed three typical patterns: (i.) responders with a high initial impairment (N = 57), (ii.) responders with a moderate initial impairment (N = 225), and (iii.) patients with a high initial impairment and no remission (N = 75). Among other significant predicators, patient´s attachment anxiety and therapeutic alliance at session eight contributed to the prediction of change patterns. DiscussionPsychotherapy of SAD should consider patient’s attachment and focus on the establishment of a solid therapeutic alliance in an early therapy stage.

Sudden gains and patterns of symptom change in cognitive-behavioral therapy for treatment-resistant depression.

The sudden gain (SG; large symptom improvements in one between-session interval) has been identified as a consistent predictor of better outcomes at posttreatment and over follow-up in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression. Other defined trajectories of symptom change in CBT, including linear (consistent changes in depression), log-linear (symptom change concentrated in early or late sessions), one-step (substantial change in depression symptoms between two adjacent sessions), and cubic (symptom decrease, increase, and decrease), also predict better treatment outcomes. We explored whether these patterns of symptom change occurred and predicted outcome in a sample of 156 adults with treatment-resistant depression who participated in a randomized controlled trial of CBT as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy (Wiles et al., 2013). Depression symptoms were assessed weekly with the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Multilevel modeling revealed that both SGs and having a defined trajectory predicted lower depression severity at 6- and 12-month follow-up, even controlling for baseline depression symptoms, early slopes of change, and symptom variability. These findings highlight the importance of examining longitudinal data and the robustness of the sudden gain pattern. They further suggest that having a defined symptom trajectory might confer its own advantages in predicting depression outcomes. Clinicians could use weekly depression scores to identify these key patterns of change to guide treatment decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories and predictors of response in youth anxiety CBT: Integrative data analysis.

Integrative data analysis was used to combine existing data from nine trials of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxious youth (N = 832) and identify trajectories of symptom change and predictors of trajectories. Youth- and parent-reported anxiety symptoms were combined using item-response theory models. Growth mixture modeling assessed for trajectories of treatment response across pre-, mid-, and posttreatment and 1-year follow-up. Pretreatment client demographic and clinical traits and treatment modality (individual- and family-based CBT) were examined as predictors of trajectory classes. Growth mixture modeling supported three trajectory classes based on parent-reported symptoms: steady responders, rapid responders, and delayed improvement. A 4-class model was supported for youth-reported symptoms: steady responders, rapid responders, delayed improvement, and low-symptom responders. Delayed improvement classes were predicted by higher number of diagnoses (parent and youth report). Receiving family CBT predicted membership in the delayed improvement class compared to all other classes and membership in the steady responder class compared with rapid responders (youth report). Rapid responders were predicted by older age (parent report) and higher number of diagnoses (parent report). Low-symptom responders were more likely to be male (youth report). Integrative data analysis identified distinct patterns of symptom change. Diagnostic complexity, age, gender, and treatment modality differentiated response classes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

3.7 Symptom Improvement During Each Phase of Trauma-Focused CBT for PTSD

Although trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) significantly improves symptoms of PTSD, it is unknown which parts of treatment are associated with the greatest symptom improvement. TF-CBT is composed of 3 phases: 1) skills; 2) narrative; and 3) consolidation, as defined by treatment developers Judith Cohen, Anthony Mannarino, and Esther Deblinger. In the current study, we measured symptom severity before and after each phase to identify patterns of symptom change during the course of therapy.

The pattern of symptom change during prolonged exposure therapy and present-centered therapy for PTSD in active duty military personnel.

Few studies have investigated the patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom change in prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. In this study, we aimed to understand the patterns of PTSD symptom change in both PE and present-centered therapy (PCT). Participants were active duty military personnel (N = 326, 89.3% male, 61.2% white, 32.5 years old) randomized to spaced-PE (S-PE; 10 sessions over 8 weeks), PCT (10 sessions over 8 weeks), or massed-PE (M-PE; 10 sessions over 2 weeks). Using latent profile analysis, we determined the optimal number of PTSD symptom change classes over time and analyzed whether baseline and follow-up variables were associated with class membership. Five classes, namely rapid responder (7-17%), steep linear responder (14-22%), gradual responder (30-34%), non-responder (27-33%), and symptom exacerbation (7-13%) classes, characterized each treatment. No baseline clinical characteristics predicted class membership for S-PE and M-PE; in PCT, more negative baseline trauma cognitions predicted membership in the non-responder v. gradual responder class. Class membership was robustly associated with PTSD, trauma cognitions, and depression up to 6 months after treatment for both S-PE and M-PE but not for PCT. Distinct profiles of treatment response emerged that were similar across interventions. By and large, no baseline variables predicted responder class. Responder status was a strong predictor of future symptom severity for PE, whereas response to PCT was not as strongly associated with future symptoms.