Pacing in posttraumatic stress disorder therapy: A meta-regression of treatment frequency and completion rates.
J Trauma StressJul 26, 2026 (epub)
Clinical ResearchPsychiatry
David M Horton, Gan Shi, Matthew A Davis et al.
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In 30 seconds
This meta-analysis examined the relationship between treatment frequency and completion rates in PTSD therapies, specifically cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure (PE), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). The analysis included 84 study arms from 66 studies. It found that increasing PE frequency doubled the odds of completion compared to CPT (OR = 2.15).
Key findings
- Patients had lower odds of completing PE compared to CPT, OR = 0.73.
- Patients were twice as likely to complete EMDR compared to CPT, OR = 2.44.
- Increasing PE frequency doubled the odds of completion compared to CPT, OR = 2.15.
- Only one third of trial arms explicitly defined treatment completion as completing all sessions.
Why it matters
Understanding the impact of treatment frequency on completion rates can help clinicians optimize PTSD therapy delivery, potentially improving patient outcomes and adherence to treatment protocols.