Post-disaster psychosocial services across Europe: The TENTS project

Witteveen, Anke B.; Bisson, Jonathan I.; Ajduković, Dean; Arnberg, Filip K.; Johannesson, Kerstin Bergh; Bolding, Hendrieke B.; Elklit, Ask; Jehel, Louis; Johansen, Venke A.; Lis-Turlejska, Maja; Nordanger, Dag; Orengo-García, Francisco; Polak, Anna; Punamäki, Raija‐Leena; Schnyder, Ulrich; Wittmann, Lutz; Olff, Miranda

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.06.017

Cited by 36 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Single-session individual early debriefing aims at alleviating stress reactions within several hours or days of trauma exposure, but it did not reduce psychological distress or prevent PTSD onset [7,8], so debriefing is not recommended anymore [9]. Debriefing may even be harmful and increase PTSD risk when emotional catharsis is encouraged in the acute setting and delivered to all exposed persons regardless of initial distress severity [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Psychological Counseling for the Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Induced by Acute Coronary Syndrome: The MI-SPRINT Randomized Controlled Trial

Känel¹,

Barth

Princip

et al. 2018

Psychother Psychosom

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Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and clinically significant PTSD symptoms (PTSS) are found in 4 and 12% of patients, respectively. We hypothesized that trauma-focused counseling prevents the incidence of ACS-induced PTSS. Methods: Within 48 h of hospital admission, 190 patients with high distress during ACS were randomized to a single-session intervention of either trauma-focused counseling or an active control intervention targeting the general role of stress in patients with heart disease. Blind interviewer-rated PTSS (primary outcome) and additional health outcomes were assessed at 3 months of follow-up. Trial results about prevalence were compared with data from previous studies on the natural incidence of ACS-induced PTSS/PTSD. Results: Intention-to-treat analyses revealed no difference in interviewer-rated PTSS between trauma-focused counseling (mean, 11.33; 95% Cl, 9.23-13.43) and stress counseling (9.88; 7.36-12.40; p = 0.40), depressive symptoms (6.01, 4.98-7.03, vs. 4.71, 3.65-5.77; p = 0.08), global psychological distress (5.15, 4.07-6.23, vs. 3.80, 2.60-5.00; p = 0.11), and the risk for cardiovascular-related hospitalization/all-cause mortality (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.37-1.23). Self-rated PTSS indicated less beneficial effects with trauma-focused (6.54; 4.95-8.14) versus stress counseling (3.74; 2.39-5.08; p = 0.017). The completer analysis (154 cases) confirmed these findings. The prevalence rates of interviewer-rated PTSD (0.5%, 1/190) and self-rated PTSS were in this trial much lower than in meta-analyses and observation studies from the same cardiology department. Conclusions: Benefits were not seen for trauma-focused counseling when compared with an active control intervention. Nonetheless, in distressed ACS patients, individual, single-session, early psychological counseling shows potential as a means to prevent posttraumatic responses, but trauma-focused early treatments should probably be avoided.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early Psychological Counseling for the Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Induced by Acute Coronary Syndrome: The MI-SPRINT Randomized Controlled Trial

Känel¹,

Barth

Princip

et al. 2018

Psychother Psychosom

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“…For some individuals, these experiences are associated with the development of mental health problems such as depression (Mandelli, Petrelli, & Serretti, 2015), substance abuse and stress-related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Arnberg, Bergh Johannesson, & Michel, 2013; Arnberg et al, 2015). However, many individuals experiencing mental health problems after overwhelming events do not receive evidence-based support or treatment (Witteveen et al, 2012), or do not receive treatment until many years after the onset of their problems (Goldstein et al, 2016). There is a need for accessible interventions in the aftermath of traumatic events with documented efficacy for preventing or reducing negative mental health consequences after serious events.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A pilot study of user satisfaction and perceived helpfulness of the Swedish version of the mobile app PTSD Coach

Cernvall

Sveen

Johannesson

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: There is a need for accessible interventions in the aftermath of traumatic events with documented efficacy for preventing or reducing negative mental health consequences. The PTSD Coach is a mobile app that has shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTSS). Objective: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the user satisfaction, perceived helpfulness and potential reductions of PTSS and symptoms of depression among participants using the Swedish version of the PTSD Coach. Method: This was an uncontrolled pre-test post-test open trial including participants recruited from the community via advertisement and from an ongoing observational study who had experienced a potentially traumatic event in the last five years. Participants had access to the Swedish PTSD Coach app for four weeks. Results: Eleven participants (mean age = 38.6, female = 8) completed the study. Nine of the participants met criteria for full or partial PTSD. Results from the PTSD Coach Survey indicated that participants found the app slightly to moderately helpful and were slightly to moderately satisfied with the app. Nominal but not statistically significant reductions of medium effect sizes in PTSS (PCL-5) and depression (PHQ-9) from pre- to post-assessment were found. In interviews, participants indicated that they found elements such as learning about PTSD, breathing exercises and monitoring symptoms helpful in managing symptoms. However, several participants indicated that they had not used the app as much as they had intended to. Participants also had suggestions for improvements such as enhanced app structure and better guidance regarding how to use the app. Conclusions: The perceived helpfulness and user satisfaction were slightly lower compared to research on the original version of the app. Experiences from the study are discussed and a future controlled study of the Swedish version of the PTSD Coach is suggested.

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“…TENTS aimed to develop European-wide networks of expertise on psychosocial care and post-traumatic stress management. TENTS used a Delphi-method to arrive at consensus on a number of conclusions (Bisson et al, 2010; Witteveen et al, 2012). The current article is a product of the EUTOPA project, funded by the European Committee,1 which was also focussed on developing a European perspective on early post-disaster psychosocial care based on agreement among experts.…”

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confidence: 99%

Early psychosocial interventions after disasters, terrorism and other shocking events: is there a gap between norms and practice in Europe?

Brake

Dückers

2013

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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BackgroundInternationally, several initiatives exist to describe standards for post-disaster psychosocial care.ObjectiveThis study explored the level of consensus of experts within Europe on a set of recommendations on early psychosocial intervention after shocking events (Dutch guidelines), and to what degree these standards are implemented into mental health care practice.MethodsTwo hundred and six (mental) health care professionals filled out a questionnaire to assess the extent to which they consider the guidelines’ scope and recommendations relevant and part of the regular practice in their own country. Forty-five European experts from 24 EU countries discussed the guidelines at an international seminar.ResultsThe data suggest overall agreement on the standards although many of the recommendations appear not (yet) to be embedded in everyday practice.ConclusionsAlthough large consensus exists on standards for early psychosocial care, a chasm between norms and practice appears to exist throughout the EU, stressing the general need for investments in guideline development and implementation.

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Post-disaster psychosocial services across Europe: The TENTS project

Cited by 36 publications

References 15 publications

Early Psychological Counseling for the Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Induced by Acute Coronary Syndrome: The MI-SPRINT Randomized Controlled Trial

Early Psychological Counseling for the Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Induced by Acute Coronary Syndrome: The MI-SPRINT Randomized Controlled Trial

A pilot study of user satisfaction and perceived helpfulness of the Swedish version of the mobile app PTSD Coach

Early psychosocial interventions after disasters, terrorism and other shocking events: is there a gap between norms and practice in Europe?

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