The Impact of COVID‐19 on Psychotherapy Participation Among Individuals With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Enrolled in Treatment Research

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Carmen P. McLean, VA Palo Alto Health Care System; Sudie E. Back, Medical University of South Carolina; Christy Capone, Providence VA Medical Center; Leslie Morland, VA San Diego Healthcare System; Sonya B. Norman, VA San Diego Healthcare System; Sheila Rauch, Emory University; Paula P. Schnurr, National Center for PTSD; Ellen Teng, Baylor College of Medicine; Ron Acierno, University of Texas Houston
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-02-01
• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jts.22718
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 1
• Start Page: 308
• End Page: 313
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors receive royalties from Oxford University Press and American Psychological Association Press (Sheila A. M. Rauch), Elsevier Press (Christy Capone, Sonya B. Norman), and income from UpToDate and System Analytic (Sonya B. Norman). This work was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (W81XWH‐15‐1‐0330, PI: Norman; W81XWH‐15‐1‐0331, PI: Capone; W81XWH‐18‐1‐0081, PI: Acierno; W81XWH‐15‐1‐0555, PI: Foa), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA025086, PI: Back), the National Institute of Mental Health (R43 MH122045, PI: Back), and the Veteran Affairs Office of Research and Development (I01RX002412‐01A1, PI: Norman; 5I01RX002625‐03, PI: Rauch; I01CX001967, PI: Sloan; 5I01RX002160‐02, PI: Teng). The grant sponsors played no role in study design; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; the writing of this paper; or the decision to submit this paper for publication. The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not reflect an endorsement by or the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or the U.S. Government. This material is the result of work supported with resources of the National Center for PTSD and the use of facilities at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
• Research Categories: Biology, Virology; Psychology, Behavioral; Psychology, Cognitive

Abstract

The onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted many aspects of daily life and required a rapid and unprecedented shift in psychotherapy delivery from in‐person to telemental health. In the present study, we explored the impact of the pandemic on individuals’ ability to participate in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) psychotherapy and the association between the impact of COVID‐19 impact on health and financial well‐being and psychotherapy participation. Participants (N = 161, 63.2% male, M age = 42.7 years) were United States military veterans (n = 108), active duty military personnel (n = 12), and civilians (n = 6), who were participating in one of nine PTSD treatment trials. The results indicate a predominately negative COVID‐19 impact on therapy participation, although some participants (26.1%) found attending therapy sessions through telehealth to be easier than in‐person therapy. Most participants (66.7%) reported that completing in vivo exposure homework became harder during the pandemic. Moreover, the impact of the pandemic on PTSD symptom severity and daily stress were each associated with increased difficulty with aspects of therapy participation. The findings highlight the unique challenges to engaging in PTSD treatment during the pandemic as well as a negative impact on daily stress and PTSD severity, both of which were related to treatment engagement difficulties.