A systematic review of single-session psychological interventions ('debriefing') following trauma

Rose, Suzanna, Bisson, Jonathan Ian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5170-1243 and Wessely, Simon 2003. A systematic review of single-session psychological interventions ('debriefing') following trauma. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 72 (4) , pp. 176-184. 10.1159/000070781

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Abstract

Background: Single-session psychological interventions such as psychological debriefing have become widely used following traumatic events. The evidence for their effectiveness has been widely debated. This review aimed to consider the evidence for the effectiveness of one-off early interventions within 1 month of a traumatic event. Methods: A systematic review using the standard Cochrane Collaboration methodology. Literature searches of various databases were performed to identify randomised controlled trials. The methodological quality of the studies identified was determined using standard measures, and the results were pooled to consider the overall evidence for effectiveness. Results: Eleven randomised controlled trials were found, all of individual or couple interventions. Three studies associated the intervention with a positive outcome, 6 demonstrated no difference in outcome between intervention and non-intervention groups and 2 showed some negative outcomes in the intervention group (these studies had the longest follow-up periods). The methodological quality of the studies varied widely, but was generally poor. This review suggests that early optimism for brief early psychological interventions including debriefing was misplaced and that it should not be advocated for routine use. There remains an urgent need for randomised controlled trials of group debriefing and other early interventions.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Medicine MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (CNGG)
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Psychological debriefing, evidence-based practice, systematic literature review, ritical incident stress debriefing, randomised controlled trial
Publisher:	Karger
ISSN:	1423-0348
Last Modified:	24 Oct 2022 11:09
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/47136

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