2023
Author(s): Belleville G, Ouellet MC, Békés V, Lebel J, Morin CM, Bouchard S, Guay S, Bergeron N, Ghosh S, Campbell T, Macmaster FP
This study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an online CBT intervention with limited therapist contact targeting a range of posttraumatic symptoms among evacuees from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires. One hundred and thirty-six residents of Fort McMurray who reported either moderate PTSD symptoms (PCL-5 > 23) or mild PTSD symptoms (PCL-5 > 10) with mod-erate depression (PHQ-9 > 10) or subthreshold insomnia symptoms (ISI > 8) were randomized either to a treatment (n = 69) or a waitlist condition (n = 67). Participants were on average 45 years old, and mostly identified as White (82%) and as women (76%). Primary outcomes were PTSD, depression, and insomnia symptoms. Secondary outcomes were anxiety symptoms and disability. Signifi-cant Assessment Time x Treatment Condition interactions were observed on all outcomes, indicating that access to the treatment led to a decrease in posttraumatic stress (F[1,117.04] =12.128, p = .001; d = .519, 95% CI = .142- .895),depression (F[1,118.29] = 9.978, p = .002; d = .519, 95% CI = .141-.898) insomnia (F[1,117.60] = 4.574, p = .035; d = .512, 95% CI = .132-.892), and anxiety (F[1,119.64] = 5.465, p = .021; d = .421, 95% CI = .044- .797) symptom severity and disability (F[1,111.55] = 7.015, p = .009; d = .582, 95% CI = .200-.963). Larger effect sizes (d = 0.823-1.075) were observed in participants who completed at least half of the treatment. The RESILI-ENT online treatment platform was successful to provide access to specialized evidence-based mental health care after a disaster.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2022.08.004