Clinicians’ perspectives on retraumatisation during trauma-focused interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder:A survey of UK mental health professionals

Purnell, Lucy, Chiu, Kenny ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8776-9864, Butani, Gita E., Grey, Nick, El-Leithy, Sharif and Meiser-Stedman, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0262-623X (2024) Clinicians’ perspectives on retraumatisation during trauma-focused interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder:A survey of UK mental health professionals. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 106. ISSN 0887-6185

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Abstract

Concerns regarding retraumatisation have been identified as a barrier to delivering trauma-focused therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We explored clinicians’ understanding of what constitutes potential signs of retraumatisation (PSoR), reported incidences of witnessing retraumatisation, use of (and confidence in) therapies for PTSD, fear of retraumatisation during therapy for PTSD, and whether having witnessed retraumatisation was associated with these variables. We surveyed 348 clinicians. There was variation in what clinicians viewed as PSoR. Retraumatisation was reported by clinicians in 3.4% of patients undergoing trauma-focused therapy for PTSD. A variety of trauma-focused and non-trauma-focused therapies were routinely used, yet 14.4% reported not using trauma-focused therapy. There was a significant negative correlation between participants’ highest reported confidence in trauma-focused therapy and endorsement of PSoR (r=-.25) and fear of retraumatisation (r=-.28). Mean fear of retraumatisation was 30.3 (SD=23.4; a score we derived from asking participants out of 100 how much they worry about trauma-focused therapy being harmful in its own right/leading to a worsening of PTSD symptoms). Participants who had witnessed retraumatisation reported significantly greater endorsement of PSoR (d=.69 [95% CI.37, 1.02]) and fear of retraumatisation (d=.94 [95% CI.61, 1.26]). Confidence in using therapies for PTSD was varied and related to how clinicians understood retraumatisation. Retraumatisation is uncommon, but there is variability in clinicians’ interpretation of what retraumatisation is, and its utility warrants research.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding information: We received funding from the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies at the University of East Anglia for the conduct of this research. The first and senior authors are part of this department. This research did not receive any other funding.
Uncontrolled Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder,psychotherapy,therapists’ characteristics,clinical psychology,psychiatry and mental health,sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3200/3203
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Mental Health
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 31 Jul 2024 18:29
Last Modified: 11 Dec 2024 01:41
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/96081
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102913

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