Scandinavian Journal of Psychology
Volume 51, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 495-502

Narrative exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in tortured refugees: A preliminary uncontrolled trial (Article)

Halvorsen J.Ø.* , Stenmark H.
  • a Centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention, Mid-Norway, Norway
  • b Centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention, Mid-Norway, Norway

Abstract

Halvorsen, J.Ø. & Stenmark, H. (2010). Narrative exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in tortured refugees: A preliminary uncontrolled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 51, 495-502.Torture has severe mental health effects, especially in terms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. However, there is still a lack of empirical treatment studies. The present paper presents data on 16 torture survivors receiving 10 sessions of narrative exposure therapy (NET). Symptoms of PTSD and depression, assessed by Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), decreased significantly from pre-treatment to 6-month follow-up, with Cohen's d effect sizes of 1.16 and 0.84, respectively. Although treatment gains were moderate, further research on evidence-based treatments for PTSD and depression in refugee torture survivors is warranted. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology © 2010 The Scandinavian Psychological Associations.

Author Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder Torture survivors Narrative exposure therapy

Index Keywords

depression refugee controlled clinical trial psychological aspect clinical trial methodology Implosive Therapy behavior therapy human Refugees Life Change Events survivor middle aged Survivors life event controlled study randomized controlled trial Humans Treatment Outcome male female pilot study psychological rating scale Psychiatric Status Rating Scales verbal communication Narration Article adult posttraumatic stress disorder Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Analysis of Variance Pilot Projects Torture

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77957354194&doi=10.1111%2fj.1467-9450.2010.00821.x&partnerID=40&md5=ff7b876a8665e56541c0ed260ef2502a

DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2010.00821.x
ISSN: 00365564
Cited by: 24
Original Language: English