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A stress management program in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and manual
Abstract
Eight Vietnam veterans received stress management training in a 5 week, 8 session program. Controls (n = 7) continued routines of no treatment or combinations of varied outpatient treatments. All met DSM-III-R criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, measured by the Impact of Events Scale (IES, Horowitz, 1979), Symptom Checklist, Revised (SCL-90 -R, Derogatis, 1977, 1983) and interview. Subjects were referred by public agencies or recruited by public advertisement. Veteran ages ranged from 36 to 57 years. Educational level ranged from 12 to 18 years. Methods were adapted from Keane, et al. (1985) and stress management training literature. Procedures involved training in deep and applied relaxation, generalization of relaxation skills, cognitive behavioral therapy of affect, control (Meichenbaum, 1983) cognitive restructuring, and self-assertion (Linehan, 1976), and applied relaxation and desensitization by paired subject training. Pretest, posttest, delayed posttest (experimental group) measures were the IES, SCL-90 -R, Profile of Mood States (POMS, McNair, et al., 1981), and Social Adjustment Scale, Self-Report (SASSR, Weissman et al., 1978). Factors used were the Self Administered Alcoholism Survey (SAAS, Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, Revised, 1979) and a profile self-inventory. Treatment subjects showed significant reductions in specific measures of affect, and intrusion and denial/avoidant symptoms (Horowitz, 1976). Control subjects showed nonsignificant changes at posttest. Results suggest PTSD symptoms are influenced by an affective, psychophysiologic dependent state and symptomatic autonomic system arousal. Study significance is that stress management for control of affect arousal seems a significant factor for integrated treatment of PTSD.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Behavioral psychology|Personality psychology
Recommended Citation
Ducharme, Paul S, "A stress management program in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and manual" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9305823.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9305823