Effectiveness of a Brief Psychological Intervention (P-CRP) for Complex Trauma and Loss

Zahide Betül Baydar43 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new psychotherapy technique called Psychological Cognitive Reprocessing Procedure (P-CRP) in treating trauma symptoms. The P-CRP intervention was developed and manualized by the principal investigator (Z.B.Baydar). Participants were randomly assigned to either the P-CRP intervention group, an active control group, or a waitlist condition. The study aimed to determine if this new method, which focused on episodic buffer processing, significantly reduced trauma-related psychological distress compared to standard approaches. Data collected during the intervention phase were analyzed to assess the efficacy of the P-CRP technique.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Trauma and Stress Related Disorders Grief (Traumatic Grief and Existential Grief)Stress Disorder - Post-traumatic (Acute)

Interventions

Psychological-cognitive reprocessing procedure (P-CRP).BEHAVIORAL

Unlike traditional approaches, the traumatic imagery is not directly targeted in the first session. The intervention begins with the silent repetition of a word or phrase representing the core negative belief associated with the traumatic experience. . During each 1-minute set, bilateral stimulation (synchronized tapping on the shoulders only) is applied, allowing the client to process the traumatic material through spontaneously emerging associations selected by the mind itself. Rather than relying on external direction, the protocol activates internal self-regulation capacities. In this respect, it aims to promote semantic and symbolic reorganization, differing from classical cognitive restructuring or desensitization-based methods. The decision about which aspect of the experience will be processed or desensitized is determined by the client's own mental flow, thereby reinforcing a sense of trust in the mind's capacity despite the traumatic history.

Expressive Narrative and Symbolic Drawing (ENSD)BEHAVIORAL

Following initial anamnesis and psychoeducation, clients recounted their trauma and drew a self-selected symbol of the event using their non-dominant hand. Each session involved discussing the memory and updating this symbol to facilitate indirect processing through creative expression.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 65 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Individuals were excluded if they had: 1. An Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score greater than 7. 2. A history of psychotic disorder or bipolar disorder. 3. Current suicide risk. 4. Substance use disorder. 5. Prior therapeutic contact with the researcher. 6. A target traumatic event that had occurred more than one year earlier. 7. Not meeting clinical DSM-5 criteria for PTSD during the clinician-administered semi-structured interview, regardless of initial self-report scores. 8. Current participation in any other form of psychotherapy or psychiatric intervention. Individuals were included if they had: 1. Meeting DSM-5 criteria for PTSD symptoms (verified by IES-R scores and clinician-led semi-structured interview). 2. Having experienced a target traumatic event or loss within the past 12 months. 3. Willingness to provide informed consent and participate in all intervention sessions.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

The Impact of Event Scale -Revised (IES-R)

The IES-R is a 22-item self-report scale designed to assess the psychological impact of traumatic experiences across three subdimensions: intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = not at all to 4 = extremely) based on symptom frequency over the past seven days. Total scores range from 0 to 88, where higher scores indicate greater severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms. According to the literature, scores of 33 and above suggest a probable PTSD diagnosis. The Turkish adaptation was used, which demonstrated high validity and reliability.

Time frame: Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10) .

Secondary Outcomes

State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

At the beginning of the scale, four demographic questions are included (name, gender, age, and occupation). The instrument uses a four-point Likert-type response format. The State Anxiety subscale consists of 20 items rated on a scale from (1) Not at all to (4) Very much so. The Trait Anxiety subscale also contains 20 items, with response options ranging from (1) Almost never to (4) Almost always. Cronbach's alpha coefficients reported in the Turkish adaptation were α = .72 for the State Anxiety subscale, α = .67 for the Trait Anxiety subscale, and α = .70 for the total scale; overall reliability values for the instrument have been reported to fall between α = .60 and α = .80.

Time frame: Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10)

The Body Sensations Questionnaire (BSQ).

It is a 17-item self-report measure assessing fear of bodily sensations associated with arousal and panic. Cronbach's alpha for the scale is reported as .92; in the current study, internal consistency was α = .93.

Time frame: Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10)

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

Scale is a 20-item scale consisting of 10 positive and 10 negative affect items. In the present study, Cronbach's alpha coefficients were α = .86 for Positive Affect and α = .82 for Negative Affect.

Time frame: Baseline (Week 0), Post-intervention (Week 6), and Follow-up (Week 10)

Effectiveness of a Brief Psychological Intervention (P-CRP) for Complex Trauma and Loss

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes