background The international guideline for complex posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd) from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (istss) recommends treatment in phases, starting with stabilisation treatment. Different forms of stabilisation training have been developed the past few years, one being short-term group stabilisation training.
aim To map out the effects of the short-term group training.
method The research implemented a pre-post design. The training consisted of five group sessions. Questionnaires (bsi, OQ 45 and svl-15) were completed both prior to and after the training. Four domains were assessed: psychosymptomatology in general, depressive symptoms, problems with interpersonal functioning and ptsd-related symptoms. The effect of the training was calculated by paired t-tests.
results The questionnaires of the 47 participants who had completed the training were analysed. No significant decrease was observed during the stabilisation training concerning the symptoms of the four evaluated domains.
conclusion Contrary our expectations, a short-term group-based stabilisation training does not seem to have added value when treating patients with complex ptsd. The results correspond with a recent trend in which the effectiveness of other stabilising methods is questioned. Alternative treatment options are discussed.