Meta-analysis of average symptom change in inpatient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder in veteran and active duty U.S. military samples.

This study tested the hypothesis that inpatient/residential treatment for PTSD associated with military duty should result in significantly lower PTSD symptoms at patient discharge compared to patient intake. Meta-analysis of effects comparing intake and discharge PTSD symptoms from 26 samples, reported in 16 studies, supported this hypothesis (d = -.73; p < .00001). Moderator analysis indicated between-study variation in PTSD symptom changes was predominantly due to the type of measure used, with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale producing the largest effect (d = -1.60). Larger effects were also observed for more recently published studies and studies with larger percentages of females. These findings support the efficacy of inpatient treatment for military PTSD, although a causal factor for effectiveness could not be identified. Further, the results indicate between-program comparisons of symptom reduction require the same measure of PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).