Trial reportJournal of consulting and clinical psychology2016
Does timing matter? Examining the impact of session timing on outcome.
Trial report in Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- 12-month follow-up of intensive outpatient treatment for PTSD combining prolonged exposure therapy, EMDR and physical activity.BMC psychiatry · 2024Trial
- The effect of hospital-based violence intervention programs on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among violent assault victims: a systematic review.Injury epidemiology · 2026Review
- Effectiveness of massed cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A retrospective analysis.Journal of traumatic stress · 2026Article
- A retrospective report of a ketamine-augmented, transdiagnostic psychiatric outpatient psychotherapy program.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2026Article
- Telebehavioral Health, In-Person, and Hybrid Modalities of Treatment Delivery Among US Service Members: Longitudinal Observational Study.JMIR mental health · 2026Observational
- Examining prolonged exposure outcomes when session frequency is limited: Preliminary findings from a Veteran sample.Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of an intensive outpatient treatment programme combining prolonged exposure and EMDR therapy for adolescents and young adults with PTSD in a naturalistic setting.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- EMpower Parents: Effectiveness of EMDR treatment for parental PTSD related to a child's medical condition in a randomized controlled trial.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- Clinician Burnout and Effectiveness of Guideline-Recommended Psychotherapies.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Massed treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and co-occurring conditions: the Home Base intensive outpatient program for military veterans and service members.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- The role of therapy delivery and clinic organizational factors in explaining therapist effects for trauma-focused psychotherapies in the Veterans Health Administration.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology · 2023Article
- Childhood Trauma and PTSD Symptoms: Disentangling the Roles of Emotion Regulation and Distress Tolerance.Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · 2023Article
- Is it safe enough? A pilot feasibility study of an 8-day intensive treatment for severe PTSD.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- A participant-randomized pilot hybrid II trial of group cognitive processing therapy for incarcerated persons with posttraumatic stress and substance use disorder symptoms: study protocol and rationale.Health & justice · 2022Article
- Initial findings on RESTORE for healthcare workers: an internet-delivered intervention for COVID-19-related mental health symptoms.Translational psychiatry · 2022Article
- Intensive outpatient treatment for PTSD: an open trial combining prolonged exposure therapy, EMDR, and physical activity.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2022Article
- Article
- Intensive outpatient treatment for PTSD: a pilot feasibility study combining prolonged exposure therapy, EMDR, physical activity, and psychoeducation.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2021Article
- Comparing Intensive Trauma-Focused Treatment Outcome on PTSD Symptom Severity in Older and Younger Adults.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveFirst-line treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often implemented twice per week in efficacy trials. However, there is considerable variability in the frequency of treatment sessions (e.g., once per week or twice per week) in clinical practice. Moreover, clients often cancel or reschedule treatment sessions, leading to even greater variability in treatment session timing. The goal of the current study is to investigate the impact of PTSD treatment session frequency on treatment outcome.
methodOne hundred thirty-six women (Mage = 32.16 [SD = 9.90]) with PTSD were randomized to receive cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure. PTSD symptom outcome was measured using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and session frequency and consistency were measured using dates of treatment session attendance. Session frequency was operationalized using average days between session, and consistency was defined by the standard deviation of the number of days between treatment sessions.
resultsPiecewise growth curve modeling revealed that higher average days between sessions was associated with significantly smaller PTSD symptom reduction, with more frequent sessions yielding greater PTSD symptom reduction (p < .001, d = .82). Higher consistency was also associated with significantly greater PTSD symptom reduction (p < .01, d = .48). The substantially larger effect size for frequency suggests that average days between treatment sessions impacts treatment outcome more than consistency. Follow-up analyses revealed a longer time interval between Sessions 4 and 5 was associated with smaller reductions in PTSD treatment outcome.
conclusionsMore frequent scheduling of sessions may maximize PTSD treatment outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.