Feasibility, acceptability and clinical benefit of a trauma-focused stabilisation group for post-traumatic stress disorder patients with complex presentations on primary care waitlists.

Abstract

Background: Large numbers of people showing complex presentations of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the NHS Talking Therapies services routinely require multi-faceted and extended one-to-one National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommended treatment approaches. This can lead to longer waits for therapy and prolong patient suffering. We therefore evaluated whether a group stabilisation intervention delivered to patients on the waitlist for individual trauma-focused psychological treatment could help address this burden.

Aims: The study aimed to ascertain a trauma-focused stabilisation group's acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary clinical benefit.

Method and results: Fifty-eight patients with PTSD waiting for trauma-focused individual treatment were included in the study. Two therapists delivered six 5-session groups. The stabilisation group was found to be feasible and acceptable. Overall, PTSD symptom reduction was medium to large, with a Cohen's d of .77 for intent-to-treat and 1.05 for per protocol analyses. Additionally, for depression and anxiety, there was minimal symptom deterioration.

Conclusions: The study provided preliminary evidence for the acceptability, feasibility and clinical benefit of attending a psychoeducational group therapy whilst waiting for one-to-one trauma therapy.