Research article

Dresden PTSD treatment study: randomized controlled trial of motor vehicle accident survivors

Andreas Maercker¹ , Tanja Zöllner² , Hans Menning¹ , Sirko Rabe³ and Anke Karl⁴

¹  University of Zurich, Department of Psychopathology and Clinical Intervention, Switzerland

²  Klinik Roseneck Center for Behavioral Medicine, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany

³  University of Technology Dresden, Biopsychology Unit, Germany

⁴  University of Southampton, School of Psychology, UK

author email corresponding author email

BMC Psychiatry 2006, 6:29doi:10.1186/1471-244X-6-29

Published:	6 July 2006

Abstract

Background

We translated, modified, and extended a cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) protocol by Blanchard and Hickling (2003) for the purpose of treating survivors of MVA with full or subsyndromal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whose native language is German. The treatment manual included some additional elements, e. g. cognitive procedures, imaginal reliving, and facilitating of posttraumatic growth. The current study was conducted in order to test the efficacy of the modified manual by administering randomized controlled trial in which a CBT was compared to a wait-list control condition.

Methods

Forty-two motor vehicle accident survivors with chronic or severe subsyndromal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) completed the treatment trial with two or three detailed assessments (pre, post, and 3-month follow-up).

Results

CAPS-scores showed significantly greater improvement in the CBT condition as compared to the wait list condition (group × time interaction effect size d = 1.61). Intent-to-treat analysis supported the outcome (d = 1.34). Categorical diagnostic data indicated clinical recovery of 67% (post-treatment) and 76% (3 months FU) in the treatment group. Additionally, patients of the CBT condition showed significantly greater reductions in co-morbid major depression than the control condition. At follow-up the improvements were stable in the active treatment condition.

Conclusion

The degree of improvement in our treatment group was comparable to that in previously reported treatment trials of PTSD with cognitive behavioral therapy.

Trial registration

ISRCTN66456536