The Effect of Childhood Sexual Assault History on Outpatient Cognitive Processing Therapy for Military Sexual Trauma-Related PTSD: A Preliminary Investigation.

History of childhood sexual assault (CSA) may result in decreased emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning, potentially affecting the tolerability and effectiveness of evidence based treatments (EBTs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) have an increased incidence of CSA; however, research examining the role of CSA in EBTs for veterans with MST-related PTSD is limited. Data from 32 (9 male; 23 female) veterans with MST-related PTSD were used from a previously conducted randomized clinical trial examining the effectiveness of an outpatient PTSD EBT (i.e., Cognitive Processing Therapy [CPT]). Self-rated PTSD symptom severity was assessed at pre-treatment, during treatment, and up to six months following treatment completion. Number of CPT sessions attended and treatment completion were also examined. Using a hierarchical linear modeling approach, results indicated both veterans with and without a history of CSA were found to benefit from CPT, and history of CSA did not significantly predict treatment response. Additionally, number of sessions attended and treatment completion did not significantly vary based on history of CSA. These preliminary findings provide support for the tolerability and effectiveness of outpatient CPT in veterans with MST-related PTSD regardless of CSA history.