ABSTRACT
Group-based exposure therapy (GBET) is an intensive group treatment that targets posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms through repeated imaginal and in vivo exposure. The purpose of the present study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a modified 12-week course of GBET (modified from the standard 16 weeks) and to examine its effectiveness in reducing veterans' PTSD symptoms. Participants were 10 male Operation Iraqi Freedom and Vietnam-era veterans recruited from a PTSD specialty clinic at a large Veterans Affairs Medical Center. All participants were retained and demonstrated clinically significant reductions in PTSD symptoms (η(2) = .84-.87) comparable to the standard protocol. The findings from this small sample indicate that the abbreviated 12-week GBET protocol is a potentially effective treatment for PTSD.
Subject(s)
Psychotherapy, Group , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/therapy , Veterans/psychology , Adult , Aged , Feasibility Studies , Humans , Iraq War, 2003-2011 , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The development and validation of a client version of the Real Relationship Inventory (RRI-C) is reported. Using a sample of clients (n = 94) who were currently in psychotherapy, a 24-item measure was developed consisting of two subscales (Realism and Genuineness) and a total score. This 24-item version and other measures used for validation were completed by 93 additional clients. Results of the present study offer initial support for the validity and reliability of the RRI-C. The RRI-C correlated significantly in theoretically expected ways with measures of the client-rated working alliance and therapists' congruence, clients' observing ego, and client ratings of client and therapist real relationship on an earlier measure of the real relationship (Eugster & Wampold, 1996). A nonsignificant relation was found between the RRI-C and a measure of social desirability, providing support for discriminant validity. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the two theorized factors of the RRI-C. The authors discuss the importance of measuring clients' perceptions of the real relationship.
