Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders and Disasters
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Posttraumatic Psychopathology: Evaluating Outcomes of a Transdiagnostic Group-Based Telehealth Intervention
Julia S. Yarrington, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Jordan Thomas, M.A.
Doctoral Student
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Tiffany Chen, B.A.
Research Coordinator
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Rosalita Benedicto, Ph.D.
Staff Psychologist
US Department of Veterans Affairs
North Hills, California
Jennifer Sumner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Danielle T. Keenan-Miller, Ph.D.
Private Practice & Consultation, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Background: Existing trauma-focused psychotherapies primarily treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, trauma exposure is a transdiagnostic risk factor for multiple forms of psychopathology beyond PTSD, including depression and anxiety. Transdiagnostic treatments are needed to address these and other concerns associated with traumatic stress. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—a third-wave cognitive-behavioral therapy with demonstrated efficacy for various psychological problems—may be an appropriate intervention, although studies of the efficacy of such an intervention among civilian populations are lacking.
Method: A single-arm pilot study examined preliminary effectiveness of a group-based ACT for Trauma telehealth treatment delivered through a psychology training clinic. Five clients (Mage = 42.6, 100% women) with a history of Criterion A trauma completed an 11-week group intervention as an adjunct to individual therapy. Clients completed a battery of well-validated symptom and functioning measures prior to and post-treatment. Measures assessed PTSD, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, and experiential avoidance. Additional measures relevant to trauma-related functioning assessed difficulties in emotion regulation, quality of life, and posttraumatic growth at pre- and post-treatment. Paired-samples t-tests assessed pre-to-post intervention effects.
Results: All clients completed the intervention, suggesting high acceptability. Analyses of pre-to-post intervention effects demonstrated no significant changes in total PTSD symptoms or across its four symptom dimensions. Symptoms of depression (p = .03) and anxiety (p = .05) significantly reduced from pre-to-post treatment, as did the hypothesized mechanism of action: experiential avoidance (p = .03). Significant increases in effective use of emotion regulation strategies (p = .04) and posttraumatic growth (p = .03) were also observed.
Discussion: Significant reductions in depressive and anxiety symptoms and experiential avoidance and significant increases in effective emotion regulation and posttraumatic growth were observed following a virtual ACT for Trauma group. Study strengths include well-validated measures of treatment mechanisms and psychopathology symptoms, a high retention rate, and a virtual administration that promoted accessibility. Limitations include the small sample, lack of comparison group, and absence of comprehensive diagnostic assessments. The group was also an adjunctive to individual therapy, limiting tests of specificity. Findings suggest that a group-based ACT for Trauma telehealth intervention promotes both symptom reduction and adaptive functioning among a sample of trauma survivors.
