Last week, the lab had the opportunity to hear from Conner, who presented an article titled “Treatment initiation and dropout from prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy in a VA outpatient clinic” by Shannon M. Kehle-Forbes, Laura A. Meis, Michele R. Spoont, and Melissa A. Polusny. This article aimed to report the initiation and dropout rates of two therapeutic treatments in a sample of veterans. Furthermore, the study aimed to assess various predictors for treatment initiation and dropout.
During the presentation, Conner explained the difference between Prolonged Exposure Treatment (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), the two therapeutic treatments examined in the study. He also shared with us some potential factors that predict dropout, such as PTSD symptom severity, military service era, age, medium of treatment (e.g., Telehealth or in-person), etc.
The article found that while there were no significant predictors for initiation, there was a lower trend for younger veterans and certain eras of military service to initiate treatment. Furthermore, younger veterans were more likely to drop out than older veterans. Another finding within the study is that veterans of more recent military service eras were more likely to drop out. Another important finding Conner presented is that dropout typically occurred before the 6th treatment session, which is usually when benefits begin to emerge.
To conclude the presentation, Conner discussed the important implications of this study. The study can inform clinicians of factors that are associated with dropout, and increase awareness of patients who are more likely to drop out.
Building on his article presentation, Conner gave us an update on a study that he has been working on with Dr. Taku on treatment drop out!
Conner updated us on his study’s background and procedures. We look forward to seeing the progress made with this new study and seeing how it develops!
FF-TIP LAB 