In the U.S., post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more prevalent among women than men, and is especially prevalent among women in the military. This February 28th JAMA study is the first to examine PTSD treatment for this population – female veterans and women in active duty.
Two types of therapy were compared: prolonged exposure (a type of Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and present-centered therapy (which is often used in VA settings for PTSD). Women veterans and women in active duty with PTSD were randomly assigned to ten sessions of either prolonged exposure (n=141) or present-centered therapy (n=143).
Those who received CBT treatment for PTSD had a greater reduction in symptom severity and were “more than twice as likely to achieve total remission.”