ABSTRACT

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if the efficacy of imaginal exposure for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be improved by adding aerobic exercise. We hypothesized that aerobic exercise would enhance the efficacy of exposure therapy. Active duty service members with clinically significant symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTSD Checklist—Stressor-Specific Version, [PCL-S], ≥25) were randomized into one of four conditions: exercise only; imaginal exposure only; imaginal exposure plus exercise; no exercise/no exposure therapy (control). Participants (N = 72) were primarily male, Army, noncommissioned officers ranging in age from 22 to 52. PTSD symptom severity decreased over time (p < .0001); however, there were no significant differences between the experimental conditions. The prediction that imaginal exposure augmented with aerobic exercise would be superior to either imaginal exposure alone or aerobic exercise alone was not supported, suggesting that engaging in exercise and imaginal exposure simultaneously may not be any better than engaging in either activity alone. A better understanding of individually administered and combined exercise and exposure therapy interventions for PTSD is warranted.

摘要

这项初步研究的目的是确定是否可以通过增加有氧运动来提高想象暴露对创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 症状的疗效。我们假设有氧运动会增强暴露疗法的功效。具有临床显着创伤后压力症状的现役军人（PTSD 检查表——压力特定版本，[PCL-S]，≥25）被随机分配到以下四种情况之一：仅运动；仅想象曝光；想象曝光加运动；不运动/不暴露疗法（对照）。参与者 ( N = 72) 主要是男性、陆军、士官，年龄从 22 岁到 52 岁不等。 PTSD 症状严重程度随着时间的推移而降低 ( p< .0001); 但是，实验条件之间没有显着差异。不支持通过有氧运动增强想象暴露将优于单独想象暴露或单独有氧运动的预测，这表明同时进行运动和想象暴露可能并不比单独进行任何一项活动更好。有必要更好地理解针对 PTSD 的单独管理和联合运动和暴露疗法干预措施。