A Preliminary Evaluation of the Unified Protocol among Trauma-Exposed Adults with and without PTSD

Caitlyn O. Hood, Matthew W. Southward, Christian Bugher and Shannon Sauer-Zavala
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Caitlyn O. Hood: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Matthew W. Southward: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Christian Bugher: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Shannon Sauer-Zavala: Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-12

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Unified Protocol (UP)—a mechanistically transdiagnostic psychological treatment—provides benefit to individuals with a range of trauma histories, psychological difficulties, and diagnostic comorbidity. Using data from a sequential multiple-assignment randomized trial (SMART), this exploratory analysis included a sample of 69 community-recruited adults seeking outpatient mental health treatment. We examined reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms and changes in aversive and avoidant reactions to intense emotions—the UP’s putative mechanism—first by comparing individuals with and without trauma histories and then specifically among participants with PTSD. Findings suggest that the UP may lead to similar improvements in clinical diagnostic severity, anxiety, and depression among patients with trauma exposure as those without trauma exposure. Roughly half of participants with PTSD demonstrated reductions in PTSD clinical severity, anxiety, depression, and distress aversion, suggesting the UP may be an efficacious treatment for people with PTSD and comorbid conditions.

Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder; trauma; transdiagnostic; cognitive-behavioral therapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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