Research aim:
To evaluate changes in the condition of patients treated with a combination of antidepressants and trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy.
To elucidate whether the patient's condition changes over time in the years following manualised and specialised psychiatric treatment.
Design: Cohort study
Population: 140 trauma-affected refugees referred to treatment at CTP
Methods: Ideally, all patients are treated for six months and have a weekly session with a psychiatrist (10 sessions in total) and a psychologist (16 sessions in total) respectively. A total of 217 patients were referred to treatment and of those, 140 patients satisfactorily completed the planned course of treatment, including ratings at the beginning and end of the treatment. The patients completed self-ratings to measure functional level, quality of life and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
All participants have been invited to a follow-up interview 18 months after completing the treatment. At this follow-up short interviews were conducted, including ratings on quality of life and functional level as well as symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression. In addition, an assessment of stressful events in the patient's life since completing the treatment is carried out.
The change in the condition was assessed using statistical analyses, including paired t-tests, Cohen's d, Pearson's correlation coefficients and reliable change index.
Primary investigator: Cæcilie Buhmann, MD, PhD
Publications
Buhmann, C., Andersen, I., Mortensen, E. L., Ryberg, J., Nordentoft, M., & Ekstrøm, M. (2015). Cognitive behavioral psychotherapeutic treatment at a psychiatric trauma clinic for refugees: description and evaluation. Torture Journal, 25(1), 16-16.
Buhmann, C., Mortensen, E. L., Nordentoft, M., Ryberg, J., & Ekstrøm, M. (2015). Follow-up study of the treatment outcomes at a psychiatric trauma clinic for refugees. Torture Journal, 25(1), 16-16.