ABSTRACT

There is a need in the global south to evaluate and implement empirically supported psychological interventions to ameliorate symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Empirically supported treatments (ESTs) have increasingly been developed and implemented, yet the majority people in the global south do not have access to these treatments for mental disorders such as PTSD. Prolonged exposure therapy has accrued substantial empirical evidence to show it as an effective treatment for PTSD. Research on the effectiveness and acceptability of prolonged exposure in a low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are sparse. This brief report presents a review of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy and its feasibility as a trauma therapy for PTSD in LMICs. First, we present a brief overview of PE as a first-line treatment for PTSD. Second, using South Africa as a case example, we present a brief overview of traumatic stress in South Africa and how mental healthcare has developed since the abolishment of apartheid in 1994. Lastly, we discuss the challenges pertaining to the dissemination and implementation of PE in LMICs and propose future perspectives regarding the implementation of ESTs such as PE in LMICs.

摘要

在全球南方，有必要评估和实施经验支持的心理干预措施，以减轻创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的症状。越来越多的经验支持疗法（ESTs）得到开发和实施，但是全球南方的大多数人仍无法获得针对诸如PTSD之类的精神障碍的疗法。长时间的暴露疗法已积累了大量的经验证据，表明它是治疗PTSD的有效方法。在低收入和中等收入国家（LMIC）中，关于长期暴露的有效性和可接受性的研究很少。这份简短的报告对长期暴露（PE）治疗及其在LMIC中作为PTSD的创伤治疗的可行性进行了综述。首先，我们简要介绍PE作为PTSD的一线治疗方法。第二，