MST may be one of the more common index traumas resulting in or contributing to PTSD in women veterans.
A systematic review of the published evidence for treatments specifically for PTSD resulting from MST in women veterans found a trauma-focused therapy called Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) currently has the strongest evidence base for effectively treating the symptoms of PTSD resulting from MST in women veterans.
CPT is trauma-focused, it shares a lot of similarities with therapies like Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. It was originally designed for survivors of sexual trauma and has been developed since for other groups and other interpersonal traumas.
CPT is recommended in the NICE Guidelines for treating PTSD (1.6.16, NICE, 2018) and it is a recommended first-line treatment in the US.
(SOURCES: Campbell et al, 2024; Resick & Schnicke, 1992; Resick, Monson & Chard, 2024; NICE, 2018)
