Date Approved

2014

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department or School

Psychology

Committee Member

Ellen Koch

Committee Member

Michelle Byrd

Committee Member

John Knapp

Abstract

Both treatment outcome studies and meta-analyses document the efficacy of multiple cognitivebehavioral methods for treating PTSD. These reports have demonstrated that exposure-based therapies such as Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) consistently match or exceed their nonexposure counterparts in regard to efficacy. Yet the issue of attrition remains a significant concern for exposure-based therapies specifically. The present study compared the relationship between exposure therapies, exposure dose, trauma type, and attrition rates. A comprehensive literature search located 32 studies that met search criteria (i.e., random assignment to groups, use of a control group, manualized treatment, and clinician-generated PTSD diagnosis). The hypotheses were tested using chi-square analysis of independence. The results suggest that there are not significant differences in attrition based on treatment type, exposure dose, or trauma type. The discussion addresses the implications of these findings and recommends improvements in publication standards that would allow enhance the rigor of attrition analysis.

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