Trial reportPsychological medicine2023
Effect of massed v. standard prolonged exposure therapy on PTSD in military personnel and veterans: a non-inferiority randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Psychological medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 4 of them syntheses 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
26 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 29 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
- Pacing in posttraumatic stress disorder therapy: A meta-regression of treatment frequency and completion rates.Journal of traumatic stress · 2026Pooled it
- How is trauma-focused therapy experienced by adults with PTSD? A systematic review of qualitative studies.BMC psychology · 2024Pooled it
- The difference between shorter- versus longer-term psychotherapy for adult mental health disorders: a systematic review with meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Feasibility of intensive prolonged exposure for PTSD: a pragmatic pilot study in Swedish public outpatient psychiatry.BMC psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Randomised clinical trial investigating memory training for recovery-adolescents in addressing psychiatric concerns among adolescents in Iraq.Journal of global health · 2025Trial
- Amygdala-related electroencephalogram neurofeedback as add-on therapy for treatment-resistant childhood sexual abuse posttraumatic stress disorder: feasibility study.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2024Trial
- MassedPsychological medicine · 2023Trial
- Therapeutic intensification in post-traumatic stress disorder worldwide: where do we stand?European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Review
- Evaluating evidence based options for initial PTSD treatment non-response: A randomized controlled trial protocol.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2026Article
- Massed prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder among individuals in comprehensive substance use treatment: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2026Article
- Graduated exposure to traumatic events decreases distress during prolonged exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- Effectiveness and tolerability of massed prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD in a CAF Veteran: A case report.Journal of military, veteran and family health · 2026Article
- Examining treatment outcomes for military service members in an intensive treatment program for posttraumatic stress disorder.Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2026Article
- PTSD Symptoms change in response to a brief intensive trauma-focused treatment programme in non-veterans and veterans with war-related PTSD.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- Evaluating self-efficacy as a treatment mechanism during an intensive treatment program for posttraumatic stress disorder.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2025Article
- A Framework for Estimating Posttreatment Moderation of Treatment-by-Dosage Effects in Individual-Patient Meta-Analysis: An Illustration Using Project Harmony.Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science · 2025Article
- Article
- Feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a highly intensive inpatient treatment programme with Narrative Exposure Therapy for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Widening the scope of intensive treatment for PTSD in the military health system.Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA short, effective therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could decrease barriers to implementation and uptake, reduce dropout, and ameliorate distressing symptoms in military personnel and veterans. This non-inferiority RCT evaluated the efficacy of 2-week massed prolonged exposure (MPE) therapy compared to standard 10-week prolonged exposure (SPE), the current gold standard treatment, in reducing PTSD severity in both active serving and veterans in a real-world health service system.
methodsThis single-blinded multi-site non-inferiority RCT took place in 12 health clinics across Australia. The primary outcome was PTSD symptom severity measured by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) at 12 weeks. 138 military personnel and veterans with PTSD were randomised. 71 participants were allocated to SPE, with 63 allocated to MPE.
resultsThe intention-to-treat sample included 138 participants, data were analysed for 134 participants (88.1% male,
conclusionsMPE was non-inferior to SPE in significantly reducing symptoms of PTSD. Significant reductions in symptom severity, low dropout rates, and loss of diagnosis indicate MPE is a feasible, accessible, and effective treatment. Findings demonstrate novel methods to deliver gold-standard treatments for PTSD should be routinely considered.
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.