Group Trauma-Informed Treatment for Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients: A Preliminary Uncontrolled Trial

• Published in: Journal of traumatic stress 2014-08, Vol.27 (4), p.496-500
• Main Authors: Gudiño, Omar G., Weis, J. Rebecca, Havens, Jennifer F., Biggs, Emily A., Diamond, Ursula N., Marr, Mollie, Jackson, Christie, Cloitre, Marylene
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Affect; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Depression - psychology; Depression - therapy; Emotional Intelligence; Female; Humans; Inpatients - psychology; Male; Mental health care; Mental institutions; Pilot Projects; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychotherapy, Group - methods; Psychotropic Drugs - therapeutic use; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy
• ISSN: 0894-9867; 1573-6598
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.21928

Despite high rates of trauma exposure (46%‐96%) and significant posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; 21%–29%) symptoms in adolescent psychiatric inpatients, there is a dearth of research on effective interventions delivered in inpatient settings. The current report describes the development of Brief STAIR‐A, a repeatable 3‐module version of skills training in affective and interpersonal regulation (STAIR) developed for adolescents in inpatient care. An uncontrolled design was used to conduct a preliminary examination of the group intervention's effectiveness. Adolescent psychiatric inpatients (N = 38; ages 12 years–17 years) admitted to a public hospital participated in Brief STAIR‐A and attended a median of 6 sessions (range 3–36). They completed measures of PTSD and depressive symptom severity, coping skill use, and coping efficacy upon admission and again prior to discharge. Participants reported significant reductions in symptom severity (d = 0.65–0.67), no change in the absolute level of coping skills used (d = 0.16), but greater coping efficacy when discharged from care (d = 0.75). Results from this pilot study suggest that this brief group treatment shows promise for treating adolescents’ trauma‐related difficulties in inpatient psychiatry settings, but additional research examining its effectiveness is essential. Resumen Spanish s by the Asociacion Chilena de Estres Traumatico Pese al elevado porcentaje de exposición al trauma (46% y 96%) y a los significativos síntomas de Trastorno por Estrés Postraumático (TEPT 21% – 29%), en adolescentes hospitalizados en psiquiatría, hay escasa investigación sobre intervenciones efectivas para pacientes en régimen hospitalario. Este artículo describe el desarrollo del EHRAI/Exposición Breve, una versión repetible de 3 módulos de Entrenamiento de Habilidades de Regulación Afectiva e Interpersonal (EHRAI/Exposición, Cloitre, Cohen&Koenen, 2006) desarrollado para adolescentes hospitalizados. Se implementó un ensayo no controlado, para una evaluación de la efectividad de esta intervención grupal preliminar. Participaron en el EHRAI/Exposición Breve, adolescentes con enfermedad psiquiátrica, (N = 38, edad 12–17 años) ingresados a un hospital público, y acudieron en un promedio de 6 sesiones (rango entre 3 a 6 sesiones). Todos fueron encuestados por síntomas de Estrés Postraumático y severidad de depresión, uso de habilidades de afrontamiento y su eficacia, al ingreso y nuevamente, previo al egreso hospitalario. Los