PTSD: Psychotherapy vs. Control

National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs

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General Description

The ptsd-psyctr dataset is a meta-analytic research domain MARD) which is part of the Metapsy project. This dataset has been developed by the National Center for PTSD (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs). The original and further extended database can be accessed on the PTSD repository website. The dataset contains study information and effect size data of randomized trials on psychological interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder. The date of the last search update is provided here. More details about the development of this database can be read in this published paper.

This dataset includes psychological interventions vs. control comparisons. Effect sizes are provided for PTSD symptoms at post-test.

The dataset follows the Metapsy data standard.


Affiliated Institutions

National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs


Online Meta-Analysis Tool

A simplified version of this database can be analyzed at metapsy.org/database/ptsd.


Metadata

  • metapsyData Shorthand: ptsd-psyctr
  • Number of Studies: 102
  • Latest Version: 23.0.3
  • Last updated: October 26, 2023
  • Last search: March 3, 2023
  • Search String (Latest Version): ↗
  • Data Repository (Latest Version): ↗
  • Preregistration (Research Domain): ↗
  • License: ODC-By v1.0 ↗
  • Database DOI:

  • Version 23.0.3 (October 26, 2023):
  • Version 23.0.2 (October 26, 2023):
  • Version 23.0.1 (October 20, 2023):
  • Version 23.0.0 (October 20, 2023):

Variable Description

VariableDescription
studyAuthor and year of publication
condition_arm1Type of treatment. CBT without trauma focus; Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Exposure Therapy; Mixed psychotherapy; Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET); Other non-trauma-focused; Prolonged exposure (PE); Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT); Trauma-focused Cognitive Therapy (TF-Cognitive Therapy); Trauma-focused other psychotherapies (TF-Other)
condition_arm2Type of comparator. Other= other control; TAU= treatment as usual; Waitlist
multi_arm1In multiarm trials, this variable provides a specification of the type of treatment used in the first arm. This variable is set to NA (missing) when the study was not a multiarm trial. For example, if a multiarm trial employed two types of CBT interventions, face-to-face and Internet-based, this variable would be set to f2f and Internet, respectively.
multi_arm2In multiarm trials, this variable provides a specification of the type of treatment used in the second arm. This variable is set to NA (missing) when the study was not a multiarm trial. For example, if a multiarm trial employed two types of control groups, waitlist and placebo, this variable would be set to wl and plac, respectively. Typically, multiarm trials employ two or more active treatments (e.g. CBT and problem-solving therapy), which are compared to the same control group (e.g. a waitlist). This means that values in multi_arm2 do not differ (e.g. they are always wl for this specific multiarm trial); nevertheless, the variable should be specified in the dataset.
outcome_typeThis variable encodes the type of outcome that builds the basis of the comparison, e.g. response, remission or deterioration. This is variable is particularly relevant for dichotomous effect size data, because it indicates what the event counts refer to. The msd factor level is typically used for outcomes expressed in means and standard deviations.
instrumentThis variable describes the instrument through which the relevant outcome was measured. Values: 1. CAPS,2. DSM-III-R,3. DTS,4. HTQ,5. IES,6. M-PTSD,7. MPSS,8. PCL,9. PDS,10. PSS,11. PSS-I,12. PSS-SR,13. SI-PTSD,14. SPTSS,15. TSI
completerAnalysis type (completer, itt= intention to treat)
timeThe measurement point at which the outcome was obtained (e.g. post or follow-up).
time_weeksThe measurement point at which the outcome was obtained, in weeks after randomization (set to NA if this information was not available).
ratingThis variable encodes if the measured outcome was self-reported ("self-report") or clinician-rated ("clinician").
mean_arm1Mean arm 1
sd_arm1Standard deviation arm 1
n_arm1Number of participants arm 1
mean_arm2Mean arm 2
sd_arm2Standard deviation arm 2
n_arm2Number of participants arm 2
m_baseline_arm1Baseline mean arm 1
sd_baseline_arm1Baseline standard deviation arm 1
n_baseline_arm1Number of participants at baseline arm 1
m_baseline_arm2Baseline mean arm 2
sd_baseline_arm2Baseline standard deviation arm 2
n_baseline_arm2Number of participants at baseline arm 2
dich_typeCategories of dichotomous outcomes, with values as: 1. Diagnosis by SI-PTSD,2. No longer meeting PTSD criteria on CAPS-5,3. No longer met the criteria for a CAPS-5 PTSD diagnosis,4. Not meeting criteria for diagnosis of PTSD,5. Not meeting criteria for PTSD according to CAPS,6. Not meeting criteria for PTSD according to CAPS for DSM-IV,7. Not meeting criteria for PTSD according to DSM-III-R,8. Not meeting criteria for PTSD according to PSS-I
event_arm1Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm
event_arm2Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the second trial arm
totaln_arm1Total number of participants arm 1 (event data)
totaln_arm2Total number of participants arm 2 (event data)
.gmetapsyTools generated variable: Calculated effect size (Hedges' g).
.g_semetapsyTools generated variable: Standard error of Hedges' g.
condition_arm1.detail1. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART),2. Affect management therapy,3. Behavioral activation (BA),4. Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP),5. Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT),6. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) + Eye Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR),7. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) without a trauma focus,8. Cognitive behavioral therapy for headache (CBTH),9. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) + Imagery Rehearsal Training (IRT),10. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT),11. Cognitive Therapy for PTSD (CT-PTSD),12. Coping skills treatment,13. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) + trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT),14. Exposure therapy,15. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR),16. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) + cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) without a trauma focus,17. Imagery Rehearsal Training (IRT),18. Imagery rescripting,19. Imaginal exposure,20. Imaginal exposure (experimental paradigm) + placebo,21. Imaginal exposure + imagery rescripting,22. Impact of Killing,23. Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT),24. Metacognitive Therapy,25. Multi-modular motion-assisted memory desensitization and reconsolidation (3MDR),26. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET),27. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) + Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT),28. Non-trauma-focused counseling,29. Observed and Experiential Integration - Switching component,30. Present-Centered Therapy (PCT),31. Prolonged Exposure (PE),32. Prolonged Exposure (PE) + Stress Inoculation Training (SIT),33. PTSD psychotherapy,34. Reconsolidation of Traumatic Memories (RTM),35. Resilience-oriented treatment,36. Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR),37. Skills Training in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) plus modified Prolonged Exposure (PE),38. Stress Inoculation Training (SIT),39. Supportive counseling,40. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT),41. Virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET),42. Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET),43. Written Exposure Therapy (WET)
condition_arm2.detail1. Assessment,2. Electronic sleep diary,3. Fitness/career assessment and planning,4. Minimal attention,5. No treatment,6. Other,7. Placebo,8. PTSD educational packet + routine care counseling,9. Treatment as usual,10. Treatment as usual (TAU),11. Waitlist
condition_arm1.lumped_category1. EMDR,2. Mixed psychotherapy,3. Non-trauma-focused,4. TF-CBT,5. TF-Other
condition_arm1.intermediate_category1. CBT without trauma focus,2. EMDR,3. Mixed exposure/ cognitive,4. Mixed psychotherapy,5. Other non-trauma-focused,6. Primarily cognitive,7. Primarily exposure,8. TF-Other
condition_arm1.meta_analysis1. EMDR,2. Mixed psychotherapy,3. NTF-CBT,4. Other non-trauma-focused,5. Prim exposure,6. TF-CBT,7. TF-CT,8. TF-Other
n_randomized_arm1Number of participants randomized arm 1
n_randomized_arm2Number of participants randomized arm 2
total_n_randomizedTotal number of participants randomized in the trial
condition_arm1.psychotherapy_subclass1. Non-Trauma-focused,2. Trauma-focused
condition_arm1.treatment_descriptionFurther description of the treatment
condition_arm1.session_lengthLength of treatment sessions
condition_arm1.frequencyFrequency of treatment sessions
condition_arm1.treatment_duration_detailFurther details about treatment duration
format1. Couple,2. Group,3. Individual,4. Mixed
delivery_methodIn person; Techology-assisted; Video
narrow_category1. CBT without trauma focus,2. EMDR,3. Exposure Therapy,4. Mixed psychotherapy,5. NET,6. Other non-trauma-focused,7. PE,8. TF-CBT,9. TF-Cognitive Therapy,10. TF-Other
def_treatment_completionDefinition for treatment completion as given by the authors
percent_completedPercent of participants completed, as defined by completion definition
psychotherapy_sessions_meanMean sessions completed out of N total, where N total is number of sessions in complete treatment course
psychotherapy_sessions_sdStandard deviation of sessions completed out of N total, where N total is number of sessions in complete treatment course
psychotherapy_sessions_qualQualitative values included with mean number of sessions completed out of N total, where N total is number of sessions in complete treatment course
military_statusAt the study level, a category describing the composition of active duty military, veterans, and community members participating in the study. One of Military, Veteran, Community, Mixed, or no value.
percent_communityAt the study level, percent of participants who are not active duty military or veterans. Assumed 100% if study did not specify proportion of participants as military or non-military. Civilian fighters were classified as community/non-military
female_percentAt the study level, percent female
trauma_typeAt the study level: Military Sexual Trauma (MST); Combat-related; Child physical abuse; Child sexual abuse; Child other abuse; Rape/sexual assault; Intimate partner violence; Accidents; Illness/medical procedure; Community/school violence; Natural or manmade disasters; Terrorism/political violence/forced displacement; Other; Mixed (If Mixed, list included types; if Other, list short description). Active duty member reporting sexual assault outside of military was categorized as "rape/sexual assault." "Child other abuse" included neglect and psychological maltreatment. "Intimate partner violence" included domestic violence. "Accidents" included motor vehicle accidents, transportation-related accidents, and accidents due to construction. "Community/school violence" included bullying, physical abuse/assault, gang-related violence, interracial violence, police and citizen altercations, mass shootings, homicide, etc. "Natural or manmade disasters" included tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquake, drought, chemical spills, etc
trauma_detailAt the study level, expands on trauma types for studies with the value "Mixed" under Trauma Type
rob_d1Risk of Bias for Domain 1: Bias arising from the randomization process
rob_d2Risk of Bias for Domain 2: Deviations from the intended interventions
rob_d3Risk of Bias for Domain 3: Missing outcome data
rob_d4Risk of Bias for Domain 4: Inappropriate measurement of the outcome
rob_d5Risk of Bias for Domain 5: Selection of the reported results
robOverall Risk of Bias score for the study
rob_numericNumeric coding for RoB: 1= High risk, 2= Some concerns; 3= Low risk
full_refReference of the study
arms_comparedArms compared according to the coding of the VA PTSD repository
year_added_to_ptsd_repositoryYear that the study was added to the PTSD-Repository. Year listed, as text, corresponds to a publication year of an AHRQ Technical Brief for the PTSD-Repository.
designDesign (arms involved in the study): ps= psychotherapy, ctr= control
outcome_assessment_type1. Self report,2. Structured Clinical Interview
statistical_analysisStatistical analysis used in the study
g_data_sourceWhich data is used for effect size calculation (follow-up: study endpoint data; change: change scores, etc.)
precalc_g
precalc_g_se
intervention_group.arm1Intervention group arm coding (according to the VA PTSD repository definition of arms)
intervention_group.arm2Control group arm coding (according to the VA PTSD repository definition of arms)
.idmetapsyTools generated variable: Unique identifier for a trial arm comparison/row.
ptsd_pubs_idVA PTSD repository PTSDpubs Identifier
study_idVA PTSD repository: an identifier for each row constructed from Author, Year and the label of the intervention arm
.log_rrmetapsyTools generated variable: Calculated effect size (logeRR).
.log_rr_semetapsyTools generated variable: Standard error of logeRR.
.event_arm1metapsyTools generated variable: Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the first trial arm.
.event_arm2metapsyTools generated variable: Number of events (responders, remission, deterioration cases) in the second trial arm.
.totaln_arm1metapsyTools generated variable: Total sample size in the first trial arm.
.totaln_arm2metapsyTools generated variable: Total sample size in the second trial arm.


Study References

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  • Jain, 2020: Jain S, Ortigo K, Gimeno J, Baldor DA, Weiss BJ, Cloitre M. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) for Veterans in Primary Care. J Trauma Stress. 2020 Aug;33(4):401-409. doi: 10.1002/jts.22523. Epub 2020 Jun 7. PMID: 32506563.
  • Jarero, 2019: Jarero I, Schnaider S, Givaudan M. Randomized controlled trial: Provision of EMDR protocol for recent critical incidents and ongoing traumatic stress to first responders. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 2019;13(2):100-10. doi: 10.1891/1933-3196.13.2.100.
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Database Flowchart

Studies in the ptsd-psyctr dataset were extracted from the larger “psychological interventions for PTSD” database. The study flow of this database can be found below.

(n=35664)Records identified through database searches (n=0)Records identified through other sources (n=14369)Records after duplicate removal (n=14369)Records screened (n=12231)Records excluded (n=2138)Full-text articles assessed for eligibility (n=2036)Full-text excluded (n=102)Studies included in database (n=102)Studies included in dataset
  • Not categorized as psychotherapy vs. control: n=367
  • Companion paper: n=315
  • Ineligible population: n=275
  • Ineligible intervention: n=19
  • Ineligible comparison: n=64
  • Ineligible outcome: n=122
  • Ineligible study design: n=216
  • Ineligible publication type: n=331
  • Non-English language: n=331


Further Information

  • PTSD-Repository curated by the National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ↗

Citation

National Center for PTSD, US Department of Veterans Affairs (2023) . Database of PTSD trials comparing psychological interventions with control conditions. Part of the Metapsy project (Version 23.0.3 ). URL docs.metapsy.org/databases/ptsd-psyctr. DOI https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10027042 .

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