Do older veterans experience change in posttraumatic cognitions following treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder?

Objective: It is unclear whether PTSD treatments improve negative posttraumatic cognitions (NPCs) and if changes in NPCs mediate treatment outcomes in older veterans. The current study examined if prolonged exposure therapy (PE) and relaxation therapy (RT) reduce NPCs over time in older adult veterans with PTSD.

Method: This study analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial of 86 older male veterans with PTSD randomized to PE or RT.