CPT vs PE 2022
CPT vs PE in US Military Veterans
Patient / Population Intervention / Exposure Comparison Outcome
In 916 US veterans with PTSD, cognitive processing therapy achieved the same PTSD symptom reduction as prolonged exposure, with slightly fewer dropouts under PE.
N
916
Design
Multicentre RCT, VA, USA
Endpoint
CAPS-5 change
Relevance
2
ResultPE modestly superior to CPT on CAPS-5 (between-group diff 2.42 pts favoring PE, p=.01; small effect 0.17); dropout HIGHER for PE (55.8% vs 46.6%, p=.005).
Schnurr PP, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(1):e2136921. 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36921
Discussion & critique
Largest head-to-head trauma-focused trial; therapy choice should follow patient preference.