Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29169664›Full record

SynthesisClinical psychology review2018

Long-term efficacy of psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Alexander C Kline, Andrew A Cooper, Nina K Rytwinksi, Norah C Feeny

Registry-linked trialAbstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Clinical psychology review, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06429293 (Impact of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Neural, Inflammatory, & Autonomic Markers in a Sample With PTSD and Cardiovascular Risk), which is not on this map. Cited by 74 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
74citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT06429293 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

Impact of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Neural, Inflammatory, & Autonomic Markers in a Sample With PTSD and Cardiovascular Risk: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorMassachusetts General HospitalRan2023 to 2026Enrolled30ConditionsPosttraumatic Stress DisorderArmsCognitive processing therapy
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

74 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Magnitude of response in treatment and control groups within psychedelic trials for psychiatric disorders: A meta-analysis.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2026
    Pooled it
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  9. Trial
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  14. The effect of time since index trauma on trauma-related beliefs.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2024
    Trial
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  16. MassedPsychological medicine · 2023
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  19. Does exposure exacerbate symptoms in veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder?Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2021
    Trial
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14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Alexander C KlinePTSD Treatment and Research Program, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Psychological Sciences, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-7123, USA. Electronic address: ack63@case.edu.
Andrew A CooperPTSD Treatment and Research Program, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Psychological Sciences, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-7123, USA.
Nina K RytwinksiWalsh University, School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, 2020 East Maple St., North Canton, OH, USA, 44720.
Norah C FeenyPTSD Treatment and Research Program, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Psychological Sciences, 11220 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-7123, USA.

Funding

Effectiveness of PTSD Treatment: PE vs ZoloftR01MH066348 · NIMH · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · PI FEENY, NORAH C · 2004 to 2014
$4.3M
NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH066348
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Psychotherapies are well established as efficacious acute interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the long-term efficacy of such interventions and the maintenance of gains following termination is less understood. This meta-analysis evaluated enduring effects of psychotherapy for PTSD in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with long-term follow-ups (LTFUs) of at least six months duration. Analyses included 32 PTSD trials involving 72 treatment conditions (N=2935). Effect sizes were significantly larger for active psychotherapy conditions relative to control conditions for the period from pretreatment to LTFU, but not posttreatment to LTFU. All active interventions demonstrated long-term efficacy. Pretreatment to LTFU effect sizes did not significantly differ among treatment types. Exposure-based treatments demonstrated stronger effects in the posttreatment to LTFU period (d=0.27) compared to other interventions (p=0.005). Among active conditions, LTFU effect sizes were not significantly linked to trauma type, population type, or intended duration of treatment, but were strongly tied to acute dropout as well as whether studies included all randomized patients in follow-up analyses. Findings provide encouraging implications regarding the long-term efficacy of interventions and the durability of symptom reduction, but must be interpreted in parallel with methodological considerations and study characteristics of RCTs.

Indexed as

HumansPsychotherapyRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticTreatment OutcomeLong-term follow-upMeta-analysisPsychotherapyPTSDTreatment outcome

Identifiers

PMID29169664
PMCPMC5741501

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

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.