Date of Award:

8-2013

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Psychology

Committee Chair(s)

Michael P. Twohig

Committee

Michael P. Twohig

Committee

Donna Gilbertson

Committee

Clinton E. Field

Committee

Gretchen Gimpel Peacock

Committee

Timothy Slocum

Abstract

The prevalence of exposure to traumatic events among youth in the United States is alarmingly high. Trauma exposure has been linked to numerous negative outcomes, including the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problematic posttraumatic stress symptomology. Effective trauma-focused treatments for children and adolescents have been identified; however, these treatments also possess various limitations, including a substantial number of individuals who do not respond, show minimal responsiveness, or drop out before completing treatment. Such limitations indicate that investigation into alternative treatment modalities is warranted.

In collaboration with Utah State University (USU), a psychology professor, Dr. Michael Twohig, and a USU doctoral student, Michelle Woidneck, conducted a study examining the utility of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a treatment for adolescents with posttraumatic stress. The project’s main purpose was to explore the effectiveness of a 10-week ACT protocol to treat posttraumatic stress among adolescents from two samples. Another important aim was to evaluate the treatment acceptability of the selected intervention.

Findings from the project showed a decrease in posttraumatic stress symptomology on multiple measures. Positive changes on measures of depression, general distress, and quality of life were also observed. The overall treatment acceptability among participants was high. Taken together, these results provide preliminary support for ACT as an effective treatment for adolescent posttraumatic stress.

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This work made publicly available electronically on December 21, 2012.

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