CBT for Vietnamese refugees with treatment-resistant PTSD and panic attacks: a pilot study

Abstract

We examined the feasibility, acceptability, and therapeutic efficacy of a culturally adapted cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) for twelve Vietnamese refugees with treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and panic attacks. These patients were treated in two separate cohorts of six with staggered onset of treatment. Repeated measures Group x Time ANOVAs and between-group comparisons indicated significant improvements, with large effect sizes (Cohen's d) for all outcome measures: Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ; d = 2.5); Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI: d = 4.3); Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25), anxiety subscale (d = 2.2); and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, depression subscale (d = 2.0) scores. Likewise, the severity of (culturally related) headache-and orthostasis-cued panic attacks improved significantly across treatment

Figures

Fig. 1

Improvement of headache-associated panic in the immediate treatment (IT) group and the delayed treatment (DT) group as a function of cognitive–behavior therapy (CBT) and time.

Fig. 2

Improvement of orthostatic-associated panic in the immediate treatment (IT) group and the delayed treatment (DT) group as a function of cognitive–behavior therapy (CBT) and time.