Reliving Trauma Better Aids Rape Victims Than Supportive Counseling

Therapy that includes recounting an assault is more beneficial to sexually traumatized teens than supportive counseling, according to a new study the Los Angeles Times reported.

Although the "exposure treatment" for post-traumatic stress disorder is more helpful and has a good track record among adults, it has not "found favor" for treatment of teens because some fear it could worsen young adults who have not developed adequate coping skills.

According to CBS News, this study is the first to prove that the same kind of exposure therapy that helps combat veterans overcome flashbacks and nightmares from their days can also help traumatized sexually abused teens with similar symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School Of Medicine came to the conclusion that having young adult patients relive their trauma is more effective after studying a modified form of the treatment tailored for teens for six years.

For the study, researchers selected 61 adolescent girls between the ages 13 to 18 from a rape crisis center in Philadelphia, Penn to participate. They randomly assigned them to either counseling or exposure therapy. The girls received 14 counseling sessions of 60-90 minutes and were evaluated at three months' and six months' time. They then underwent a 12-month follow-up, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Based on the study, those who received prolonged exposure showed a greater decline in post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptom severity. They also showed a greater improvement in overall function than those with who went through counseling.

According to CBS News, a JAMA editorial said many therapists are reluctant to use exposure treatment on teens because of concerns that it might exacerbate their symptoms.

Edna Foa, University of Pennsylvania clinical psychologist who designed the study, performed a similar study in 2010 that had similar result. She found that among 38 adolescent girls: about two thirds of those who underwent exposure therapy no longer met the clinical diagnosis of PTSD, compared with 37 percent who underwent psychotherapy, the Los Angeles Times reported.