Outcomes from a pilot study to evaluate Phase 1 of a two-phase approach to treat women with complex trauma histories

Summary & key facts

This small pilot tested Phase 1 of the Women’s Trauma Recovery Program, a group, phase-based intervention for women with complex trauma. Eleven women completed questionnaires at the start and after 10 weeks, and six took part in interviews. Four of nine women who likely had PTSD at the start were no longer symptomatic at Week 10. Participants described feeling empowered, connected to others, and that recovery was ongoing. The authors call the results promising but say larger studies are needed.

Key facts:

• 11 women completed the study’s quantitative measures at baseline and at Week 10.
• Six women took part in qualitative interviews about their experience with the program.
• Nine participants were classified with probable PTSD at the start; four of those nine were asymptomatic at Week 10.
• Three main themes came from the interviews: (1) Empowerment from Phase 1, (2) Recovery as an ongoing process, and (3) Connection and validation through shared group experiences.
• The authors described Phase 1 as showing promising symptom improvement but noted the study was small and recommended larger, well-powered studies to confirm the findings.
• The program was delivered in a group format, which participants said helped them feel validated and less isolated.

Abstract

Objective Despite few studies assessing the effectiveness of phase-based interventions for treating complex trauma symptoms, such approaches have been endorsed by experts as a first-line intervention. The aim of this study was to evaluate Phase 1 of the Women’s Trauma Recovery Program, a phase-based intervention for women who have experienced complex trauma.Methods Quantitative assessments of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety and stress (baseline and Week 10) are reported for 11 participants. Six women also participated in qualitative interviews regarding their experience of the program. Descriptive statistics and interpretive phenomenological analysis were used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data, respectively.Results Four of nine participants with probable PTSD at baseline were asymptomatic at Week 10. Three superordinate themes were generated from the interview data: (1) Empowerment: the experience in Phase 1, (2) Recovery: an ongoing process, and (3) “Hey, I’m human”: connection through shared experience.Conclusion Phase 1 of the program demonstrated promising findings in terms of symptom improvement. Furthermore, participants perceived it as an empowering experience. The group modality enabled women to create connections that validated and normalised their experiences. Future studies of phase-based interventions with larger, well-powered samples are needed.

Topics

Child Abuse and Trauma Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Pregnancy-related medical research

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Chemistry Clinical psychology Interpretative phenomenological analysis Intervention (counseling) Medicine Organic chemistry Phase (matter) Psychiatry Psychological intervention Psychology Qualitative research Social psychology Social science Sociology Superordinate goals

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Anxiety or worry Feeling disconnected from others Sadness or low mood