A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Treatments for Adolescent and Adult Sexual Assault Victims.
Leslie W Miles, Julie L Valentine, Linda J Mabey and 4 others
PMID 38148646WHAT IT FOUND
Several trauma-focused psychotherapies reduced post-traumatic stress in adolescent and adult sexual assault victims, but many other treatments lacked enough evidence to recommend.
Key findings
01All randomized controlled trials in the review reported statistically significant reductions in PTSD outcome measures.
02Cognitive behavioral therapy was studied in seven included studies, and randomized trials reported reductions in PTSD, anxiety, and depression.
03In one randomized trial, trauma-sensitive yoga had higher completion than cognitive processing therapy and earlier symptom improvement, but both groups had significant reductions in PTSD measures.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review included many lower-quality studies: 11 non-randomized comparison studies and 20 case studies, so the evidence is not all strong. The authors did not calculate pooled effect estimates or compare effect sizes across studies, and the outcome measures varied widely, so the findings cannot be combined into one overall effect. Most participants were women, with few men and no LGBTQ participants reported, so the findings may not apply to male or LGBTQ sexual assault survivors. Some recommendations relied on general PTSD treatment guidelines rather than sexual assault-specific trials. Some included studies may have had sexual assault victims under age 14, despite the review's age limit.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The College of Nursing at Brigham Young University supported the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that every therapy discussed is proven effective for sexual assault survivors. Many included studies were case reports or non-randomized, and several treatments were not recommended because evidence was insufficient.