A pilot study of the trauma recovery group for veterans with post traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring serious mental illness.

BACKGROUND: Many Veterans may not benefit from gold-standard evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because they suffer from co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI).

AIMS: This pilot study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Trauma Recovery Group in a sample of Veterans with PTSD and SMI.

METHODS: Fourteen Veterans with PTSD and SMI were enrolled in a 21-session group-based cognitive behavioral therapy program targeting PTSD. The PTSD Checklist was the primary outcome measure; secondary outcomes included the Participant Health Questionnaire, the Post Traumatic Cognitions Inventory, and the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale.

RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of participants completed the trial. The intervention was associated with a significant reduction of PTSD symptoms and a trend-level reduction of maladaptive post-traumatic cognitions. There was a significant positive correlation between change in PTSD symptoms and change in post-traumatic cognitions.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the Trauma Recovery Group for Veterans with co-occurring PTSD and SMI, and suggest that controlled research on the program is warranted.