Journal
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
Volume 303, Issue -, Pages 64-73Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.01.108
Keywords
Posttraumatic stress disorder; Intervention; Intrusive memories; Memory reconsolidation; Childbirth; Behaviour therapy
Categories
Funding
- Swiss National Science Foundation [32003B_172982]
- COST action [CA18211]
- OAK Foundation [OCAY-18-442]
- Swedish Research Council [VR 2020-00873]
- AFA Forsakring [200342]
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [32003B_172982] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
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This study tested a single-session behavioral intervention for reducing childbirth-related intrusive memories and symptoms of childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD). The results showed that participants had a significant reduction in the number of intrusive memories and CB-PTSD symptom severity after the intervention. The intervention was highly acceptable to the participants.
Background: Intrusive memories (IMs) of traumatic events are a key symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and contribute to its maintenance. This translational proof-of-principle study tested whether a single-session behavioural intervention reduced the number of childbirth-related IMs (CB-IMs) and childbirth-related PTSD (CB-PTSD) symptoms, in women traumatised by childbirth. The intervention was assumed to disrupt trauma memory reconsolidation. Methods: In this pre-post study, 18 participants, whose traumatic childbirth had occurred between seven months and 6.9 years before, received an intervention combining childbirth-related reminder cues (including the return to maternity unit) with a visuospatial task. They recorded their daily CB-IMs in the two weeks pre-intervention (diary 1), the two weeks post-intervention (diary 2; primary outcome), and in week 5 and 6 post-intervention (diary 3). CB-PTSD symptom severity was assessed five days pre-intervention and one month post-intervention. Results: Compared to diary 1, 15/18 participants had >= 50% fewer CB-IMs in diary 2. The median (IQR) reduction of the number of CB-IMs was 81.89% (39.58%) in diary 2, and persisted in diary 3 (n = 17). At one month post-intervention, CB-PTSD symptom severity was reduced by >= 50% in 10/18 participants. Of the 8 participants with a CB-PTSD diagnosis pre-intervention, none met diagnostic criteria post-intervention. The intervention was rated as highly acceptable. Limitations: The design limits the causal interpretation of observed improvements. Conclusion: This is the first time such a single-session behavioural intervention was tested for old and real-life single-event trauma. The promising results justify a randomized controlled trial, and may be a first step toward an innovative CB-PTSD treatment.
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