Psychological Mechanisms of Effective Cognitive–Behavioral Treatments for PTSD

Zalta, Alyson K.

doi:10.1007/s11920-015-0560-6

Cited by 66Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchPsychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Psychological Mechanisms of Effective Cognitive–Behavioral Treatments for PTSD

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Zalta, Alyson K.·2015·Current Psychiatry Reports

DOI 10.1007/s11920-015-0560-6PMC PMC4472473

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Abstract

Several psychotherapies have been established as effective treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and cognitive therapy for PTSD. Understanding the key mechanisms of these treatments, i.e., how these treatments lead to therapeutic benefits, will enable us to maximize the efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency of these therapies. This article provides an overview of the theorized mechanisms for each of these treatments, reviews the recent empirical evidence on psychological mechanisms of these treatments, discusses the ongoing debates in the field, and provides recommendations for future research. Few studies to date have examined whether changes in purported treatment mechanisms predict subsequent changes in treatment outcomes. Future clinical trials examining treatments for PTSD should use study designs that enable researchers to establish the temporal precedence of change in treatment mechanisms prior to symptom reduction. Moreover, further research is needed that explores the links between specific treatment components, underlying change mechanisms, and treatment outcomes.

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Negative responses to trauma disclosure are likely to reinforce negative beliefs about oneself, others, and the world, which are thought to play a critical role in the aetiology and maintenance of PTSD symptoms.
“Negative responses to trauma disclosure are likely to reinforce negative beliefs about oneself, others, and the world, which are thought to play a critical role in the aetiology and maintenance of PTSD symptoms (see Zalta, 2015 for a review).”
From The association between social support and posttraumatic stress symptoms among survivors of betrayal trauma: a meta-analysis (2021) · cites this paper as Zalta, 2015
In “Theorized Psychological Mechanisms of CBT Treatments for PTSD” (page unavailable), Zalta reviews models in which negative beliefs about oneself, others, and the world contribute to PTSD symptoms and their maintenance. The review also notes that others’ reactions may be perceived as rejecting or blaming, but it does not establish that negative responses to trauma disclosure reinforce those beliefs. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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Authors: Zalta, A. K.
Affiliations: Rush University Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author: Zalta, Alyson K.
ORCID: Zalta, Alyson K.
Venue: Current Psychiatry Reports
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2015-03-08
Volume: 17
Issue: 4
Pages: 560-560
ISSN: 1523-3812 (ISSN-L)
1535-1645
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-015-0560-6
PMC: PMC4472473
OpenAlex: W2058389654
Cited by: 66
References: 44
Citations by year: 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1
FWCI: 0.53
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations: Current Psychiatry Reports (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders: National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Mental Health (K23MH103394)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder, cognitive behavioral therapy, therapeutic mechanisms, prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, treatment outcome prediction, temporal precedence, psychotherapy efficacy
MeSH terms: Cognition, Humans, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Treatment Outcome

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Psychological Mechanisms of Effective Cognitive–Behavioral Treatments for PTSD

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