ArticlePsychological services2020
"It didn't fit for me:" A qualitative examination of dropout from prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy in veterans.
Article in Psychological services, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effectiveness and moderators of PE and CPT in adult PTSD treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Pooled it
- Clients' experiences of psychotherapeutic interventions addressing trauma.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Pooled it
- How is trauma-focused therapy experienced by adults with PTSD? A systematic review of qualitative studies.BMC psychology · 2024Pooled it
- The Role of the Therapeutic Alliance in Dropout in Cognitive Processing Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.Behavior therapy · 2026Trial
- Veterans' experiences of somatic experiencing and prolonged exposure therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder: A qualitative analysis.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2025Trial
- Randomized controlled trial of computerized working memory training for Veterans with PTSD.Journal of psychiatric research · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness of prolonged exposure (PE) after implementation at a crime victim support centre.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2024Trial
- Refining and Assessing Gender-Tailored Group Therapy for Veteran Men With Military Sexual Trauma: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- A neuro-synthesis of psychological constructs relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Graduated exposure to traumatic events decreases distress during prolonged exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Group therapy for men with histories of military sexual trauma: Treatment feasibility, acceptability, and symptom outcomes.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2026Article
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Posttraumatic Psychopathology: A Group-Based Telehealth Intervention.American journal of psychotherapy · 2025Article
- Feasibility and acceptability of written exposure therapy group in a virtual outpatient setting.Journal of traumatic stress · 2025Article
- Process Improvement for Engaging With Trauma-Focused Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for PTSD.Federal practitioner : for the health care professionals of the VA, DoD, and PHS · 2025Article
- Factors Associated with Treatment Duration in a Trauma-Focused Community Mental Health Setting.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Who defines improvement? Patients' global reports of improvement compared to standardized measures of improvement in cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of anxiety disorders · 2025Article
- Adapting MOVED as a web-based moral elevation intervention for veterans with PTSD: Using feedback from a pilot trial and subject matter experts.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2025Article
- Using machine learning to increase access to and engagement with trauma-focused interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2025Review
- Veterans' Experiences of and Preferences for Patient-Centered, Measurement-Based PTSD Care.Medical care · 2024Article
- Building resilience: A specialty clinic tailored to older adults at risk for violence and abuse.International journal of psychiatry in medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Trauma-focused psychotherapies, such as prolonged exposure and cognitive processing therapy, are the most effective forms of treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. These treatments are commonly delivered in the Veterans Health Administration; however, dropout means that some veterans fail to benefit. Ending treatment prematurely is a common problem across psychotherapies, with on average, 20% to 25% of patients dropping out. The purpose of this study was to examine veterans' self-reported reasons for dropping out of prolonged exposure or cognitive processing therapy. Veterans who dropped out from prolonged exposure or cognitive processing therapy (N = 28) completed qualitative interviews about their experiences. Interviews were coded by 2 coders using grounded theory. Therapy-related barriers were the largest category reported, and included lack of buy-in to the rationale or specific therapy tasks, believing that treatment was not working, alliance issues, or switching to a different treatment. Practical barriers and finding treatment "too stressful" were also common reasons for dropout. This research provides information that can shape how PTSD treatments are delivered in health care settings. Therapy-related barriers were the largest group, suggesting that providers may need to find more effective ways to communicate the rationale for these therapies or to tailor them to individual patients' needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
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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.