PTSD Treatment Briefs

Use this search tool to learn about randomized controlled trials of a particular PTSD treatment.

Please select treatment first
Study ID🛈Unique identifier for the study Standardized Treatment Name🛈Standardized name of the treatment for each arm Treatment or Control🛈For each arm, describes if this is an active treatment (designed to be effective), an active control (designed to be less effective than the main treatment), or an inactive control (presumed to be ineffective) Format🛈Individual, group, couples, or mixed formats Delivery Method🛈Delivered in person, through phone or video, through technology alone or assisted, via writing, or some mix Study sample size🛈Number of people randomized to treatment across all study arms Military Status🛈Describes the primary sample: active duty military, veteran, community, or mixed Female Percent🛈Percent of the sample that is female Risk of Bias🛈Overall risk of bias for the study, either high, low, or some concerns

Summary of Studies


Sample Characteristics

Sample size is one aspect of a study that increases confidence in the results with larger studies being better able to detect differences in the treatments being compared.

Study population is important because it provides information on generalizability (i.e., to whom results apply).

CPG Rating

Treatment ratings come from the 2023 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline that uses the GRADE methodology. (For more information on the GRADE method, see: Zhang Y, Akl EA, & Schünemann HJ. (2019) Using systematic reviews in guideline development: The GRADE approach. Research Synthesis Methods, 10(3), 312-329. https://doi.org/10.1002/jrsm.1313)

Comparison Groups

When considering the results of a specific treatment study, it is important to understand the comparison group(s) included. When a treatment is compared to an inactive control, such as a waitlist or a placebo, a positive result means the treatment is better than no treatment, but it does not control for non-specific effects like attention. When a treatment is compared to an active control, such as supportive psychotherapy, a positive result means that the treatment is providing something over and above the non-specific effects of therapy. In some cases, two or more active treatments are compared. Depending on the study design, these studies might be examining specific components of a treatment, whether one treatment is superior to another treatment, or even if two treatments are equivalent or not inferior to each other.

Risk of Bias

All research studies are at risk of being biased. This may come from how the study was designed, how the study was carried out, or both. A study with high (versus low or some concerns) bias is one in which there are other factors besides the treatment being tested that may influence the findings in a meaningful way.

How does this compare to other treatments?

Study ID Citation