Los efectos de intervenciones psicológicas en el funcionamiento neurocognitivo en Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático: Una revisión sistemática

Translated title of the contribution: The effects of psychological interventions on neurocognitive functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review

Eka Susanty, Marit Sijbrandij*, Willeke van Dijk, Wilis Srisayekti, Ralph de Vries, Anja C. Huizink

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental disorder, which is associated with emotional and cognitive functioning problems. Psychological interventions, such as trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (tf-CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are effective in reducing PTSD symptoms. Despite evidence showing that PTSD is associated with neurocognitive deficits, there is no systematic overview available on neurocognitive outcomes following treatment for PTSD. The current systematic review examined whether psychological treatments for PTSD improve neurocognitive functioning outcomes related to memory, attention, information processing, and executive functioning. Method: A literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, PTSDpubs, and Cochrane Library was performed up to March 7, 2022, in collaboration with a medical information specialist. Eligible PTSD treatment studies examining neurocognitive outcomes (memory, attention, information processing and executive function) in patients with a DSM-IV or ICD diagnosis of PTSD were included. Results: Of the 3023 titles and abstracts identified, 9 articles met inclusion criteria, of which 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 4 non-randomized studies. Treatments included were cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), brief eclectic psychotherapy (BEP), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), virtual reality graded exposure therapy (VR-GET), and resilience-oriented treatment (ROT). Conclusions: This systematic review showed that psychological treatments for PTSD do not affect most neurocognitive functions, with exception of the memory outcomes. Future research, high-quality studies are needed to provide evidence of the effect of psychological treatment in improving neurocognitive functioning in PTSD. HIGHLIGHTS: This systematic review investigated the effects of psychological treatments on neurocognitive functioning in adults with PTSD. This review showed that most studies were very heterogeneous in design, method, and analysis. This review supports the evidence for psychological treatments for PTSD on improving memory outcomes.

Translated title of the contributionThe effects of psychological interventions on neurocognitive functioning in posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review
Original languageSpanish
Article number2071527
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalEuropean Journal of Psychotraumatology
Volume13
Issue number1
Early online date26 May 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • attention
  • executive function
  • information processing
  • memory
  • Neurocognitive functioning
  • psychological treatment
  • PTSD

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