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Cited by 64Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchPsychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsPsychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research

A preliminary investigation of sudden gains in exposure therapy for PTSD

Open access
Doane, Lisa Stines, Feeny, Norah C., Zoellner, Lori A.·2010·Behaviour Research and Therapy
DOI 10.1016/j.brat.2010.02.002PMC PMC3241615
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Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine sudden gains in those receiving treatment for PTSD and whether these rapid changes were related to overall symptom reduction in a small sample of female assault survivors with PTSD undergoing prolonged exposure (PE) therapy. Sudden gains were found to occur in 52% of the sample. Among those who experienced a sudden gain, the average magnitude (12.4 points) accounted for 61% of overall symptom reduction. Importantly, treatment outcome was better for those who experienced sudden gains than those who did not. The experience of a sudden gain may result in patients becoming more fully engaged with treatment, and recognition of them may result in identifying potential process-related predictors of treatment response.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.brat.2010.02.002

Cites

49 of 49 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Similar rapid gains are observed in CBT for post-traumatic stress disorder, adolescent depression, binge eating, and irritable bowel syndrome.

    “Similar gains are observed in CBT for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 53 percent of clients), adolescent depression, binge eating (62 percent of clients), and irritable bowel syndrome (30 percent of clients) [41,42,43,44].”

    From Brief and Telehealth Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Interventions for Stress in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): A Series of Single Case Experimental Design (SCED) Studies (2022) · cites this paper as [41]

    The Results (Occurrence of sudden gains) report rapid improvements during prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD, supporting the PTSD portion of the citing sentence. They report 12 of 23 participants (52%), however, rather than the cited 53%. This paper is not the source cited for the other conditions in the sentence. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Sudden improvements for 40 to 60% of clients following brief interventions and initial therapy sessions are a well-observed effect in the cognitive behavioural therapies.

    “For example, sudden improvements for 40 to 60% of clients following brief interventions and initial therapy sessions are a well-observed effect in the cognitive behavioural therapies [41,42,43,44].”

    From Brief and Telehealth Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Interventions for Stress in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): A Series of Single Case Experimental Design (SCED) Studies (2022) · cites this paper as [41]

    The background section reports sudden gains in 39–46% of people treated for depression, and Results > Occurrence of sudden gains reports them in 12 of 23 (52%) participants receiving exposure therapy for PTSD. But the paper says gains occurred throughout treatment, not specifically following brief interventions or initial sessions; it does not establish the quoted rate for CBT clients generally. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Improvements in openness to experience, awareness, and particularly stress and valued action are broadly congruent with the existing literature on brief interventions and improvements early in therapy.

    “Improvements in openness to experience, awareness, and particularly stress and valued action are broadly congruent with the existing literature on brief interventions and improvements early in therapy.”

    From Brief and Telehealth Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Interventions for Stress in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): A Series of Single Case Experimental Design (SCED) Studies (2022) · cites this paper as [41]

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that about half of the sudden gains in PTSD symptoms occurred early in treatment, at sessions 3–5. The paper does not establish improvements in openness to experience, awareness, stress, or valued action, and it studies prolonged exposure therapy rather than a brief intervention. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. First MB Spitzer RL Gibbon M Williams JB 1995 Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders-patient edition (SCID-I/P, Version 2) New York Biometrics Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute
  2. Institute of Medicine 2007 Treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: An assessment of the evidence Washington, DC National Academies Press

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Related

Authors
Doane, L. S., Feeny, N. C., & Zoellner, L. A.
Affiliations
  • Case Western Reserve University (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
Corresponding author
Doane, Lisa Stines
ORCID
Venue
Behaviour Research and Therapy
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-06
Volume
48
Issue
6
Pages
555-560
ISSN
0005-7967 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.brat.2010.02.002
PMC
PMC3241615
OpenAlex
W1967301904
Cited by
64
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 4
FWCI
3.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Behaviour Research and Therapy (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
Anxiety Disorders Association of America
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
Keywords
sudden gains, prolonged exposure therapy, post-traumatic stress disorder, symptom relief, treatment outcomes, treatment engagement
MeSH terms
Adult, Female, Humans, Implosive Therapy, Pilot Projects, Self-Assessment, Sex Offenses, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome, Crime Victims

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