A Spiritually Based Group Intervention for Combat Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

Purpose-To assess the feasibility, effect sizes, and satisfaction of mantram repetition-the spiritual practice of repeating a sacred word/phrase throughout the day-for managing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans.Design-A two group (intervention vs. control) by two time (pre-and postintervention) experimental design was used.Methods-Veterans were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 14) or delayed-treatment control (n = 15). Measures were PTSD symptoms, psychological distress, quality of life, and patient satisfaction. Effect sizes were calculated using Cohen's d.Findings-Thirty-three male veterans were enrolled, and 29 (88%) completed the study. Large effect sizes were found for reducing PTSD symptom severity (d = −.72), psychological distress (d = −.73) and increasing quality of life (d = .70).Conclusions-A spiritual program was found to be feasible for veterans with PTSD. They reported moderate to high satisfaction. Effect sizes show promise for symptom improvement but more research is needed.

Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review

“…For KQ 1d on whether the effect varies by the type of traumatic experience, such as combatassociated PTSD, we found six RCTs that studied combat-associated trauma exclusively (Kearney et al, 2013;Marzabadi and Zadeh, 2014;Omidi et al, 2013;Bormann et al, 2008), two RCTs that studied combat-associated and other trauma Polusny et al, 2015), and two RCTs that studied trauma that was not combat-associated (van der Kolk et al, 2014;Jindani, Turner, and Khalsa, 2015).…”

“…For KQ 1a on whether the effect of meditation on PTSD symptoms varies by the type of meditation approach, we identified five RCTs that utilized MBSR, including a brief manualized MBSR intervention (Kearney et al, 2013;Marzabadi and Zadeh, 2014;Omidi et al, 2013;Polusny et al, 2015), three RCTs that utilized yoga (van der Kolk et al, 2014;Mitchell et al, 2014;Jindani, Turner, and Khalsa, 2015), and two RCTs that utilized a mantram repetition program (Bormann et al, 2008;. For KQ 1b on whether the effect differs if the intervention is offered as an adjunctive therapy rather than as a monotherapy, there were nine RCTs that studied meditation adjunctive with TAU (van der Kolk et al, 2014;Mitchell et al, 2014;Kearney et al, 2013;Bormann et al, 2008;Polusny et al, 2015;Jindani, Turner, and Khalsa, 2015;Marzabadi and Zadeh, 2014) and one RCT for which it was unclear whether the meditation intervention was given as adjunctive or monotherapy .…”

“…For KQ 1b on whether the effect differs if the intervention is offered as an adjunctive therapy rather than as a monotherapy, there were nine RCTs that studied meditation adjunctive with TAU (van der Kolk et al, 2014;Mitchell et al, 2014;Kearney et al, 2013;Bormann et al, 2008;Polusny et al, 2015;Jindani, Turner, and Khalsa, 2015;Marzabadi and Zadeh, 2014) and one RCT for which it was unclear whether the meditation intervention was given as adjunctive or monotherapy .…”

“…There were four RCTs that compared meditation with TAU and inclusion on a waitlist Marzabadi and Zadeh, 2014;Jindani, Turner, and Khalsa, 2015;Bormann et al, 2008). Two of the studies compared the intervention with an active comparator and TAU Polusny et al, 2015).…”

Spirituality and Stress Responses in Small Industry Employees

“…과 스트레스에 영성이 완충작용을 하며 (Delgado, 2007), 환자 PTSD (Bormann, Thorp, Wetherell, & Golshan, 2008) 에게 영성 중심의 집단중재로 스트레스 감소에 효과가 있음 (Malinski, 2002). …”