The effectiveness of a trauma focused spiritually integrated intervention for veterans exposed to trauma

Harris, J. Irene; Erbes, Christopher R.; Engdahl, Brian; Thuras, Paul; Murray-Swank, Nichole A.; Grace, Dixie; Ogden, H. N.; Olson, Raymond H. A.; Winskowski, Ann Marie; Bacon, Russ; Malec, Catherine; Campion, Kelsey; Le, TuVan

doi:10.1002/jclp.20777

Cited by 154 publications

(132 citation statements)

References 55 publications

(33 reference statements)

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“…Several recent intervention efforts highlight these possibilities. For example, Harris and colleagues (Harris et al, 2011) have developed a trauma-focused, spiritually-integrated intervention and demonstrated promising initial findings for helping veterans alleviate negative religious coping and resolve spiritual struggles. Taking another approach, Bormann and colleagues (Bormann, Thorp, Wetherell, Golshan, & Lang, 2013) demonstrated that mantram meditation reduced PTSD symptoms among veterans, and that the improvements were mediated by increasing spiritual well-being (Bormann, Liu, Thorp, & Lang, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive and negative religious/spiritual coping and combat exposure as predictors of posttraumatic stress and perceived growth in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Park¹,

Smith²,

Lee³

et al. 2017

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

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We examined religious/spiritual (RS) coping from the Survey of Experiences of Returning Veterans (SERV) Study, 630 participants who reported on their demographics, combat exposure, use of positive and negative RS coping, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and perceived posttraumatic growth (PPTG). PTSD symptoms and PPTG were inversely correlated. As hypothesized, negative RS coping was inversely associated with PPTG and positively with PTSD, while positive RS coping was related only to PPTG. Although we expected that RS coping would buffer relations between combat exposure and both PTSD and PPTG, we found only one moderator effect and it was opposite our hypothesized direction: Those with high combat exposure and high positive RS coping had the highest PTSD symptomatology. These results suggest, among veterans with combat exposure, negative RS coping is associated with higher PTSD symptomatology, while positive RS coping is generally associated with higher PPTG as well as higher PTSD for those with high combat exposure.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive and negative religious/spiritual coping and combat exposure as predictors of posttraumatic stress and perceived growth in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Park¹,

Smith²,

Lee³

et al. 2017

Psychology of Religion and Spirituality

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“…Hence, when focusing on the Stable High PTSD group in particular, many of these patients might have been struggling to resolve other salient traumas (e.g., killing, atrocities) that were not captured by the traditional combat exposure measure used in this study. Several researchers have piloted interventions that may address shame/guilt and other dimensions of moral injury in evidence-based treatments for combat-related PTSD [49], [50].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residential Treatment for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Identifying Trajectories of Change and Predictors of Treatment Response

2014

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BackgroundCombat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a difficult condition to treat and has been associated with serious medical and economic issues among U.S. military veterans. Distinguishing between treatment responders vs. non-responders in this population has become an important public health priority. This study was conducted to identify pre-treatment characteristics of U.S. veterans with combat-related PTSD that might contribute to favorable and unfavorable responses to high value treatments for this condition.MethodThis study focused on 805 patients who completed a VHA PTSD residential program between 2000 and 2007. These patients completed the PTSD Clinical Checklist at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and a four-month follow-up assessment. Latent growth curve analysis (LCGA) was incorporated to determine trajectories of changes in PTSD across these assessments and whether several key clinical concerns for this population were associated with their treatment responses.Study FindingsLCGA indicated three distinct trajectories in PTSD outcomes and identified several clinical factors that were prospectively linked with changes in veterans' posttraumatic symptomatology. When compared to a group with high PTSD symptom severity that decreased over the program but relapsed at follow-up (41%), the near half (48.8%) of the sample with an improving trajectory had less combat exposure and superior physical/mental health. However, when compared to a minority (10.2%) with relatively low symptomatology that also remained somewhat stable, patients in the improving group were younger and also reported greater combat exposure, poorer physical/mental health status, and more problems with substance abuse before the start of treatment.ConclusionsFindings suggest that veterans are most likely to benefit from residential treatment in an intermediate range of symptoms and risk factors, including PTSD symptom severity, history of combat exposure, and comorbid issues with physical/mental health. Addressing these factors in an integrative manner could help to optimize the effectiveness of treatments of combat-related PTSD in many cases.

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“…Results of studies are equivocal regarding trauma's negative or positive effects on an individual's religious beliefs and behaviors [12][13][14][15][16]. Harris et al developed an intervention called Building Spiritual Strength (BSS) to assist those who experienced military trauma in reducing PTSD symptoms by exploring spirituality as a source of support [17]. This 8 wk (2 h/wk) interfaith group intervention was designed to help participants find meaning in their traumatic experiences and to minimize distress resulting from a disconnection with their Higher Power.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses to Mantram Repetition Program from Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: A qualitative analysis

Bormann¹,

Hurst

Kelly

2013

J Rehabil Res Dev

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Abstract-This study describes ways in which a MantramRepetition Program (MRP) was used for managing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in 65 outpatient Veterans with PTSD. The MRP consisted of six weekly group sessions (90 min/wk) on how to (1) choose and use a mantram, (2) slow down thoughts and behaviors, and (3) develop onepointed attention for emotional self-regulation. Critical incident research technique interviews were conducted at 3 mo postintervention as part of a larger randomized clinical trial. The setting was an academic-affiliated Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in southern California. Categorization and comparison of the types and frequency of incidents (i.e., triggering events) were collected. Participants reported a total of 268 triggering events. Content analysis of the outcomes resulted in 12 discreet categories, including relaxing and calming down, letting go of negative feelings, thinking clearly and rationally, diverting attention away from triggering events, focusing attention, refining mantram skills, dealing with sleep disturbances, coming back from flashbacks, slowing down, communicating thoughts and feelings more effectively, feeling in touch spiritually, and letting go of physical pain. The study shows that the MRP was helpful in managing a wide range of emotional reactions in Veterans with PTSD.

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The effectiveness of a trauma focused spiritually integrated intervention for veterans exposed to trauma

Cited by 154 publications

References 55 publications

Positive and negative religious/spiritual coping and combat exposure as predictors of posttraumatic stress and perceived growth in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Positive and negative religious/spiritual coping and combat exposure as predictors of posttraumatic stress and perceived growth in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Residential Treatment for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Identifying Trajectories of Change and Predictors of Treatment Response

Responses to Mantram Repetition Program from Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: A qualitative analysis

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