Long-term improvement in coping skills following multimodal treatment in war veterans with chronic PTSD.

Dolores Britvić, Dubravka Glučina, Vesna Antičevič, Vesna Kekez, Branka Lapenda, Varja Đogaš, Goran Dodig, Ivan Urlić, Iva Moro, Tanja Frančišković

Department of Psychiatry, University of Split Hospital and School of Medicine, Croatia. dbritvic@globalnet.hr

International journal of group psychotherapy 2012 Jul

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Due to the long-lasting and resistant symptoms characteristic of chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), its treatment is complex and often requires a tailored therapeutic approach incorporating both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. A multimodal approach of psychoeducative, sociotherapeutic, and dynamically oriented trauma-focused groups is described. We assessed the short- and long-term effectiveness of this therapeutic program by monitoring its impact on PTSD symptoms, depression, neurotic symptoms, coping skills, and quality of life for three years. The findings revealed short-term reduction in the symptoms of PTSD and depression, while the long-term results were manifested as the increased use of all coping mechanisms and a greater level of obsession.

Citation

Dolores Britvić, Dubravka Glučina, Vesna Antičevič, Vesna Kekez, Branka Lapenda, Varja Đogaš, Goran Dodig, Ivan Urlić, Iva Moro, Tanja Frančišković. Long-term improvement in coping skills following multimodal treatment in war veterans with chronic PTSD. International journal of group psychotherapy. 2012 Jul;62(3):418-35