ABSTRACT
Objectives: Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) has been established as an effective treatment to reduce symptoms of psychological distress including PTSD, anxiety, and depression in parents of preterm infants. The current study compares results of a group-based intervention developed to reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress with a prior study using an individual version of the treatment manual. Method(s): A total of 26 mothers of preterm infants (25-34 weeks' gestational age;>600 g) received 6 sessions of TF-CBT including psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, progressive muscle relaxation, and the writing and sharing of their trauma narrative. Outcomes were compared with a group of 62 mothers who participated in a prior RCT with individual therapy based on the same model. Results were also compared for mothers receiving in-person treatment vs telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Result(s): For the entire study period (baseline to follow-up), the individual intervention showed greater improvement in trauma symptoms assessed with Davidson Trauma Scale (d = 0.48;p =.016), although both conditions showed noticeable improvement. Similar patterns were found for maternal depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II]) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]). In-person treatment was found to be superior to telehealth treatment administered during the COVID-19 pandemic, although the difference was not significant. Conclusion(s): Group-based TF-CBT is an effective treatment modality for parents of premature infants with symptoms of psychological distress. However, recruitment of parents was difficult, raising questions about feasibility. Future group-therapy approaches will require a more flexible, open-ended group format in which parents have the option of participating without making a commitment for the full 6-session protocol. Given the national shortage of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)-based psychological services, group therapy is a potentially viable and cost-effective way to deliver care. PTSD, PAT, P Copyright © 2022