A resilience-oriented treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: Results of a preliminary randomized clinical trial

Abstract

This preliminary randomized trial examined the effect of a resilience-oriented intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) versus a waitlist control on anxiety and depressive symptoms, positive emotional health, and cognitive performance in 39 veterans with a variety of traumatic exposures. From pre- to posttreatment, the intervention but not the control group showed improvements that were large in magnitude for affective symptoms and positive emotional health (ds = 0.73-1.18), moderate in magnitude for memory (ds = 0.50-0.54), and small-to-moderate in magnitude for executive function (ds = 0.30-0.35). Findings suggest that treatment explicitly targeting resilience resources (e.g., positive emotional engagement, social connectedness) may provide broad benefits, including alleviation of anxiety and depressive symptoms and improved positive emotional and cognitive function. © 2011 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.