BACKGROUND: This study explored how cognitive restructuring (CR) and cognitive exposure therapy (CET) impacted test anxiety in chemistry students from Nsukka, Enugu State. Three research questions and hypotheses guided the investigation.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with a pretest, posttest, and 2 experimental groups was employed. The study involved 154 SSII chemistry students from 4 purposefully chosen schools within Nsukka. The Chemistry Test Anxiety Scale, Cognitive Restructuring Chemistry Treatment Package, and Cognitive Exposure Chemistry Treatment Package served as the data collection instruments. The Chemistry Text Anxiety Scale\'s internal consistency, measured by Cronbach alpha, was found to be 0.86, indicating good reliability. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) addressed the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance tested the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level.
RESULTS: Results showed that the students who were exposed to CR therapy had pretest mean test anxiety score of M̄ = 78.31, standard deviation (SD) = 8.63 and posttest mean test anxiety of mean [M] = 27.06, SD = 5.71, while those exposed to cognitive exposure had a pretest mean test anxiety score of M = 77.39, SD = 8.68 and a posttest mean test anxiety score of M = 32.62, SD = 11.04. The reduction in text anxiety scores of -51.25 and -44.77 for the students exposed to CR and cognitive exposure respectively. The students exposed to CR therapy had lesser posttest mean test anxiety score than those exposed to CET. The results revealed that students receiving CR therapy displayed lower posttest anxiety scores compared to those receiving CET. Additionally, no significant interaction between treatment and gender on test anxiety was found.
CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that CR therapy is better than CET in the management of test anxiety among chemistry students. Based on these findings, it was recommended that cognitive behavioral therapists should be invited periodically to educate students on the negative effects of irrational thoughts on academic performance.

Background: There is a vast amount of evidence supporting the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, it remains unclear which specific treatment is most effective for patients with PTSD following childhood sexual and physical abuse (CSPA). Although Imaginal Exposure (IE) has proven highly effective in treating PTSD and is widely acknowledged as a standard method, Imagery Rescripting (IR) may be more suitable for CSPA-related PTSD. IR not only addresses fear but also targets other emotions and cognitions associated with childhood maladaptive schemas. Preliminary findings suggest lower drop-out rates for IR compared to IE, but no Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) currently assesses the effectiveness of IR for CSPA-related PTSD.Objective: This article presents a study protocol designed to investigate the optimal treatment (IE or IR) for individuals with CSPA-related PTSD and explore predictors of treatment success.Method: In our study protocol, we suggest the inclusion of 173 patients (N = 64 in IR, N = 64 in IE, and N = 45 in the waitlist condition). The therapy procedures for both IE and IR will consist of 16 sessions lasting 90 min each, with treatment durations of 11 weeks. Measurements take place at baseline, at start of treatment, 11 weeks after the start of treatment (after 16 sessions) and at follow-up at 26 weeks after the last session. A mixed regression will be used to compare the three active conditions before and after measurement.Results: This article serves as a study protocol. The results are not yet available but they will be presented in a subsequent article.Conclusion: This study protocol outlines a RCT which will be the first to provide information on the effectiveness of IR versus IE versus a control group in CSPA-related PTSD.Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register NTR 4817. Registered 26 September 2014.
This study protocol is designed to enhance the clinical treatment for individuals (aged 18 and above) experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from childhood sexual and physical abuse (CSPA) occurring before the age of 16.Within this protocol, the efficacy of two PTSD interventions – Imagery Rescripting (IR) and Imaginal Exposure (IE) – will be systematically compared, both against each other and a control group.The secondary objective of this study protocol is to investigate potential predictors of treatment success, including factors such as tonic immobility, dissociation, heart rate variability, measures of autonomic arousal, personality disorders, and the quality of therapeutic alliance.

BACKGROUND: Trauma is a significant risk factor for developing psychosis. Nevertheless, psychosis is often considered grounds for not receiving trauma-focused therapy due to concerns of exacerbating psychotic symptoms. Prolonged exposure (PE) is a recognized and effective evidence-based therapy modality for the treatment of severe trauma.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the available empirical evidence for PE as a feasible treatment programme for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with psychotic symptoms.
METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using the databases Scopus, PsycINFO (OVID) and PubMed MEDLINE in December 2023 with a priori defined eligibility criteria. The literature search identified 1226 articles, of which eight met the eligibility criteria. Five studies exploring the effects of PE treatment on patients diagnosed with PTSD and suffering from comorbid psychotic experiences were included. Three studies containing follow-up data or secondary analysis on PTSD and psychotic symptoms from original studies fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included. Each study was assessed for quality to estimate the risk of bias.
RESULTS: Acknowledging the scarcity of available evidence, the results of the scoping review indicate that PE may be an effective treatment approach for reducing PTSD symptoms in patients with PTSD and comorbid psychotic symptoms. The reviewed studies found no iatrogenic effects, including no increase in psychotic symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: PE appears to be a possibly effective PTSD treatment for patients suffering from PTSD and comorbid psychotic symptoms or disorders. However, the evidence is scarce, and larger confirmative trials are required for more conclusive evidence.

OBJECTIVE: To test a multifaceted treatment program for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who did not respond to regular cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The treatment addresses several factors that may play a role in maintaining OCD.
METHODS: We designed a treatment consisting of a 6-day intensive, individual exposure in vivo with response prevention (ERP) format, with 24 therapist-assisted treatment hours at the patient\'s home and 12 self-controlled ERP hours, including behavioral activation and family interventions. Next, we investigated the effect (obsessive-compulsive symptoms, comorbidity, functioning, quality of life, OCD-related interaction patterns) and feasibility (dropout, treatment satisfaction, and organization) of this program using pre-post-tests, pre-follow-up tests, and qualitative data from patients, family members, and therapists.
RESULTS: In a sample of 22 participants, obsessive-compulsive symptoms (Y-BOCS pre: 28.7, post: 15.9; Wilcoxon S-R tests P<0.01) improved significantly, as did most other effect measures. Results were largely, but not completely, preserved at 3-month follow-up. There was only 1 dropout. Patients, family members, and therapists were satisfied with the treatment. Implementation of the treatment did not pose difficulties.
CONCLUSIONS: In nonresponders with OCD, a multifaceted, brief, intensive home-based ERP program targeting factors maintaining OCD is promising and feasible. Extra care is needed to maintain improvement.

UNASSIGNED: Mobile mental health apps are a cost-effective option for managing mental health problems, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The efficacy of mobile health (mHealth) apps depends on engagement with the app, but few studies have examined how users engage with different features of mHealth apps for PTSD.
UNASSIGNED: This study aims to examine the relationship between app engagement indices and PTSD symptom reduction using data from an unblinded pilot randomized controlled trial of \"Renew\" (Vertical Design), an exposure-based app for PTSD with and without coaching support. Because exposure is an effective approach for treating PTSD, we expected that engagement with exposure activities would be positively related to symptom reduction, over and above overall app usage.
UNASSIGNED: Participants were veterans (N=69) with clinically significant PTSD symptoms who were recruited online using Facebook advertisements and invited to use the Renew app as often as they wanted over a 6-week period. Participants completed screening and assessments online but provided informed consent, toured the app, and completed feedback interviews via telephone. We assessed users\' self-reported PTSD symptoms before and after a 6-week intervention period and collected app usage data using a research-instrumented dashboard. To examine overall app engagement, we used data on the total time spent in the app, the number of log-in days, and the number of points that the user gained in the app. To examine engagement with exposure components, we used data on total time spent completing exposure activities (both in vivo and imaginal), the number of in vivo exposure activities completed, and the number of characters written in response to imaginal exposure prompts. We used hierarchical regression analyses to test the effect of engagement indices on change in PTSD symptoms.
UNASSIGNED: Usage varied widely. Participants spent an average of 166.09 (SD 156.52) minutes using Renew, over an average of 14.7 (SD 10.71) mean log-in days. Engagement with the exposure components of the app was positively associated with PTSD symptom reduction (F6,62=2.31; P=.04). Moreover, this relationship remained significant when controlling for overall engagement with the app (ΔF3,62=4.42; P=.007). The number of characters written during imaginal exposure (β=.37; P=.009) and the amount of time spent completing exposure activities (β=.36; P=.03) were significant contributors to the model.
UNASSIGNED: To our knowledge, this is the first study to show a relationship between symptom improvement and engagement with the active therapeutic components of an mHealth app (ie, exposure) for PTSD. This relationship held when controlling for overall app use, which suggests that it was engagement with exposure, specifically, that was associated with symptom change. Future work to identify ways of promoting greater engagement with self-guided exposure may help improve the effectiveness of mHealth apps for PTSD.

While exposure therapy is the most effective psychological treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and traumatic stress-related disorders, it is not universally effective, indicating a need for further treatment optimization. This study investigated a shift in approach to exposure therapy with 29 treatment-refractory adults in an OCD clinic not responding to standard treatment, comprising habituation-based exposure therapy. Participants completed standard exposure as a continuation of standard clinic treatment, followed by an acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) consultation session to assess psychological inflexibility processes interfering with treatment progress, and then an ACT-based exposure targeting behavior change through increasing psychological flexibility. After each exposure, participants and independent raters reported levels of psychological flexibility, rituals, distress, treatment engagement, and treatment perceptions. We observed that the shift to ACT-based exposure was associated with greater psychological flexibility, treatment engagement, treatment acceptability, and treatment preference. These findings suggest that there may be situations where ACT-based exposure has particular utility.

BACKGROUND: Persistent symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) negatively affect daily functioning and quality of life. Fear avoidance behaviour, a coping style in which people avoid or escape from activities or situations that they expect will exacerbate their symptoms, maybe a particularly potent and modifiable risk factor for chronic disability after mTBI. This study will evaluate the efficacy of graded exposure therapy (GET) for reducing persistent symptoms following mTBI, with two primary aims: (1) To determine whether GET is more effective than usual care; (2) to identify for whom GET is the most effective treatment option, by evaluating whether baseline fear avoidance moderates differences between GET and an active comparator (prescribed aerobic exercise). Our findings will guide evidence-based care after mTBI and enable better matching of mTBI patients to treatments.
METHODS: We will conduct a multisite randomised controlled trial with three arms. Participants (n=220) will be recruited from concussion clinics and emergency departments in three Canadian provinces and randomly assigned (1:2:2 ratio) to receive enhanced usual care, GET or prescribed aerobic exercise. The outcome assessment will occur remotely 14-18 weeks following baseline assessment, after completing the 12-week treatment phase. The primary outcome will be symptom severity (Rivermead Post-concussion Symptoms Questionnaire).
BACKGROUND: Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. All study procedures were approved by the local research ethics boards (University of British Columbia Clinical Research Ethics Board, University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board, University Health Network Research Ethics Board-Panel D). Operational approvals were obtained for Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and Provincial Health Services Authority. If GET proves effective, we will disseminate the GET treatment manual and present instructional workshops for clinicians.
BACKGROUND: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT05365776.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is implicated in extinction learning, which is a primary mechanism of exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Brief aerobic exercise has been shown to promote BDNF release and augment extinction learning. On the premise that the Val allele of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism facilitates greater release of BDNF, this study examined the extent to which the Val allele of the BDNF polymorphism predicted treatment response in PTSD patients who underwent exposure therapy combined with aerobic exercise or passive stretching. PTSD patients (N = 85) provided saliva samples in order to extract genomic DNA to identify Val/Val and Met carriers of the BDNF Val66Met genotype, and were assessed for PTSD severity prior to and following a 9-week course of exposure therapy combined with aerobic exercise or stretching. The sample comprised 52 Val/Val carriers and 33 Met carriers. Patients with the BDNF high-expression Val allele display greater reduction of PTSD symptoms at posttreatment than Met carriers. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that greater PTSD reduction was specifically observed in Val/Val carriers who received exposure therapy in combination with the aerobic exercise. This finding accords with animal and human evidence that the BDNF Val allele promotes greater extinction learning, and that these individuals may benefit more from exercise-augmented extinction. Although preliminary, this result represents a possible avenue for augmented exposure therapy in patients with the BDNF Val allele.

Veterans\' quality of life (QoL) can be drastically affected by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We compared prolonged exposure therapy (PET) with metacognitive therapy (MCT) in their effects on quality of life (QoL) among veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Overall, 57 veterans with PTSD were randomly assigned to three groups MCT (N = 17), PET (N = 17), and Control (N = 23). The 36-item short-form survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate QoL pretest, posttest, and after a 3-month follow-up. The MCT was based on the practice of detached mindfulness, controlling rumination/anxiety, and challenging negative beliefs about symptoms. The PET was based on in-vivo and imaginal exposure to trauma-related events, and discontinuation of avoidance-oriented coping strategies. Both MCT and PET groups significantly improved QoL at posttest and follow-up, compared with the control group (P < .001); however, the MCT and PET groups showed no significant difference at posttest (P = .644) or follow-up (P = .646). Our results support the efficacy of PET as the standard for PTSD treatment, while also signifying the effectiveness of MCT at increasing the QoL in war-related PTSD at a 3-month follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Religion/spirituality (R/S) is an important and commonly used resource for coping with difficult experiences and has been shown to reduce the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following a trauma. However, it is not clear how R/S affects response to treatment of PTSD.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper was to understand how Veterans\' R/S and sense of purpose were related to clinical outcomes when engaging in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) or Prolonged Exposure (PE). It was predicted that Veterans identifying as R/S would have a higher sense of purpose, be more likely to complete treatment, and have greater symptom change during treatment.
METHODS: The study included 91 military Veterans from a VA Medical Center outpatient PTSD Clinical Team who initiated CPT or PE and responded to a question about the importance of R/S in their lives at intake.
RESULTS: Forty nine percent of the Veterans in this sample reported R/S were important to them and had mixed feelings about whether their life had a clear sense of purpose. Neither R/S nor sense of purpose were associated with treatment completion or response to PTSD treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that once PTSD has developed, R/S or sense of purpose may not play a significant role in completion of or response to evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD. EBPs for PTSD are equally effective for Veterans identifying as R/S and those who do not, which may be reflective of administering EBPs in a culturally responsive manner.