Mobile cognitive behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress: Diving back in after hematopoietic stem cell transplant

Abstract

� Cancer and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) can be traumatic, especially when involving a life-threatening incident (e.g., pulmonary embolism), but survivors often lack access to evidence-based treatment due to cost, distance, and their immunocompromised status � An HSCT survivor reported posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms precipitated by cancer and HSCT. Specifically, cancer-specific triggers, like hearing or seeing the word "cancer," and physical symptoms reminding her of the trauma were highly distressing � The current case engaged in a stepped-care intervention to manage PTSD symptoms: Four weeks of mobile health (mHealth) app use was followed by eight sessions of mHealth Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (mCBT) � Tailored mCBT was successfully delivered remotely and showed promise in reducing cancer/HSCT-specific PTSD symptoms � In addition to reductions in PTSD symptoms, the current case demonstrated resilience and growth while participating in mCBT