Preliminary treatment outcomes of transition-aged youth receiving cognitive processing therapy for PTSD: A brief report

Despite posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) being prevalent among transition-aged youth (aged 17–25), they face barriers to accessing treatment and have few therapy options tailored to their needs. Therefore, the purpose of this preliminary pilot feasibility study was to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of a 12-session Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) group for 25 transition-aged youth (aged 18–25) with PTSD. Participants completed measures of PTSD symptoms, secondary mental health outcomes (e.g., depression), and substance use and impulsivity at baseline, post-intervention, and 4-week follow-up. Group engagement was measured at post-intervention, and dropout rates were recorded. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to model the effects of the intervention on outcomes between Each timepoint. Results indicated significant decreases in PTSD symptoms χ2 (1) = 17.90, p <.001 and key secondary outcomes, such as depression χ2 (1) = 8.78, p = .012. Group engagement was moderate M = 3.4 out of 6, SD = 1.6 and dropout (48%) was higher than in other CPT interventions but comparable to youth mental health interventions broadly. Youth who did not complete the group had significantly higher PTSD symptoms at baseline t(23) = 2.16, p = .041 and were significantly younger than youth who completed the group t(23) = 2.43, p = .024. These preliminary findings indicate that group-based CPT may be an effective low-barrier intervention for transition-aged youth with low-severity PTSD. Further research with larger samples and a control condition is warranted.