RCT of a Brief Phone-Based CBT Intervention to Improve PTSD Treatment Utilization by Returning Service Members

Abstract

Objectives Many service members do not seek care for mental health and addiction problems, often with serious consequences for them, their families, and their communities. This study tested the effectiveness of a brief, telephone-based, cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to improve treatment engagement among returning service members who screened positive for PTSD. Method OEF/OIF service members who screened positive for PTSD but had not engaged in PTSD treatment were recruited (N=300), randomly assigned to either control or intervention conditions, and administered the baseline interview. Intervention participants received the brief CBT intervention; control condition participants had access to usual services. All participants received follow-up phones calls at months 1, 3 and 6 to assess symptoms and service utilization. Results Participants in both conditions had comparable rates of treatment engagement and PTSD symptom reduction over the course of the six-month trial, but receiving the telephone-based intervention accelerated service utilization (treatment engagement and number of sessions) and PTSD symptom reduction. Conclusions A one-time brief telephone intervention can engage service members in PTSD treatment earlier than conventional methods and can lead to immediate symptom reduction. There were no differences at longer-term follow-up, suggesting the need for additional intervention to build upon initial gains.

Gender Differences in Service Utilization among OEF/OIF Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after a Brief Cognitive–Behavioral Intervention to Increase Treatment Engagement: A Mixed Methods Study

“…In this study’s main findings report, receiving the telephone-based intervention accelerated service utilization (treatment engagement and number of sessions) and PTSD symptom reduction (Stecker, McHugo, Xie, Whyman, & Jones, 2014). In examining gender differences in treatment engagement, receiving the CBT intervention resulted in more treatment seeking among women veterans.…”

Factors influencing the adoption of telemedicine for treatment of military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

“…Although no difference in dropout rates was observed when comparing in-person treatment with telemedicine-based treatment, studies did show that dropouts engaged in the telemedicine method for a longer period of time before deciding to discontinue treatment (20,25). In addition, telemedicine effectiveness was unaffected by age, ethnicity, or demographics of veterans (23,24,26).…”

Interventions to Increase Retention in Mental Health Services: A Systematic Review

“…For continuous outcomes in which means and standard deviations were provided (18)(19)(20)(21)(22), the formula below was used, where M 1 is the mean of group 1, M 2 is the mean of group 2, and S p is the pooled standard deviation.…”