Abstract
Background
Cancer has been considered a potentially traumatic experience and is a distinct pathway by which one might develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study compared the efficacy of COmpetitive MEmory Training (COMET), an intervention aimed at altering dysfunctional self-representations, and MEmory Specificity Training (MEST), an intervention targeting autobiographical memory deficits, on PTSD and depression symptoms. As a secondary aim, we also investigated the effect of COMET and MEST on trauma-related attentional biases.
Methods
Sixty newly diagnosed cancer patients with PTSD were randomly assigned to either the COMET (n = 30) or MEST groups (n = 30). Each participant completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5, Beck Depression Inventory-II and a dot-probe task. The groups then underwent either COMET or MEST. All the assessments were re-conducted after the treatment (post-treatment) and at three months post-treatment (follow-up).
Results
The COMET group had significantly fewer PTSD and depression symptoms compared to the MEST group at post-training and follow-up. Both groups indicated a significant reduction in attentional biases following training.
Conclusions
This study suggests that COMET is a promising brief intervention for the treatment of PTSD in cancer patients.
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Notes
The data file is available by contacting the corresponding author.
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Sharareh Farahimanesh, Alireza Moradi, Meysam Sadeghi, and Laura Jobson declare there are no conflict of interests.
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Farahimanesh, S., Moradi, A., Sadeghi, M. et al. Comparing the Efficacy of Competitive Memory Training (COMET) and MEmory Specificity Training (MEST) on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients. Cogn Ther Res 45, 918–928 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10175-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10175-4