The Impact of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies for Nightmares and Prazosin on the Reduction of Post-Traumatic Nightmares, Sleep, and PTSD Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis of Randomized and Non‐Randomized Studies
Katia Levrier, Carolyn Leathead, Delphine-Émilie Bourdon, Sophie Lacerte, André Marchand, Geneviève Belleville
InTech eBooks November 2, 2016 DOI: 10.5772/64224 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults with post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic nightmares |
| Intervention | Prazosin |
| Topics | Dreaming PTSD |
| Keywords | Prazosin Psycinfo Randomized controlled trial Meta-analysis Population Clinical psychology Cognitive behavioral therapy Medline |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Prazosin had a large effect (g = 1.30) and cognitive-behavioral therapies had a moderate effect (g = 0.55) on reducing post-traumatic nightmares. |
Abstract
Post-traumatic nightmares (PTNMs) can be treatment resistant to conventional treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). New cognitive and behavioral treatments (CBTs) for nightmares (NM) and pharmacological treatments, such as Prazosin, have been developed to directly reduce PTNMs.
Objectives: The first objective was to evaluate the impact of CBTs for NM and Prazosin on the reduction of PTNMs in an adult population. A second aim was to explore the impact of these treatments in general PTSD symptoms and sleep.
Method: A systematic search of English and French clinical studies on any CBTs and Prazosin treatments for PTNMs published from 1980 to 2012 was conducted in PsycINFO, MedLine, PILOTS,and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
Results: The final sample was composed of 26 studies. The combined effect size (ES) for Prazosin was g = 1.30, 95% CI [0.61, 2.00], and for CBTs, it was g = 0.55, 95% CI [0.38, 0.72].
Conclusions: Prazosin had a large impact on PTNM reduction, while CBTs had a moderate impact. Specific NM treatments (Prazosin or CBTs) contribute to PTNM reduction and reduce PTSD and sleep symptoms. These findings are significant to the literature on PTSD and future studies should consider them. Several recommendations are proposed.