An intensive form of trauma focused cognitive behaviour therapy in an acute adolescent inpatient unit: An uncontrolled open trial
Purpose: Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rates among hospitalised adolescents are between 21% and 32% and there is a lack of evidence based interventions for this population. Trauma focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TF CBT) is an evidence based intervention for children and adolescents with PTSD; however, it has not been implemented in an acute adolescent inpatient unit. This study examines the implementation of an intensive form of TF CBT in an adolescent inpatient unit. Method: An uncontrolled open trail study was conducted where 15 adolescents diagnosed with PTSD were treated with an intensive form of TF CBT. Measures used were the University of California, Los Angeles' (UCLA) PTSD Reaction Index for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. Adolescent Version; DSM IV Adolescent Version) the National Stressful Events Survey PTSD Short Scale (NSESSS) and the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) Results: Adolescents received an average of nine sessions of TF CBT over a period of 28 days. The average NSESSS on admission was 23.73 and 8.27 at discharge; the CGAS average on admission was 19 and on discharge was 48.7; both were statistically significant changes. Conclusion: Preliminary findings support the use of an intensive form of TF CBT to treat adolescents with PTSD admitted to acute adolescent inpatient units indicating the need for further research in this area.
Clinical child psychology and psychiatry