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Comparison of the processing of positive memories technique and supportive counseling for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled trial.

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Title: Comparison of the processing of positive memories technique and supportive counseling for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled trial.
Authors: Contractor AA; Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, USA. Electronic address: ateka.contractor@unt.edu., Rosenfield D; Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, USA., Almeida IM; Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, USA., Wang S; Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, USA., Taylor DJ; Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, USA., Weiss NH; Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, USA., Shea MT; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA.
Source: Behaviour research and therapy [Behav Res Ther] 2026 Aug; Vol. 203, pp. 105087. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 19.
Publication Type: Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Comparative Study
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier Science Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0372477 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-622X (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00057967 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Behav Res Ther Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: Oxford : Elsevier Science
Original Publication: Oxford [etc.]
MeSH Terms: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*/therapy , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*/psychology , Counseling*/methods , Memory*, Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult
Abstract: Research suggests that positive memory processes influence maintenance, onset, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. A novel PTSD intervention-Processing of Positive Memories Technique (PPMT)-addresses positive memory processes as an active treatment ingredient. This study compared PPMT to Supportive Counseling (SC) in a randomized controlled trial to examine their comparative effects on PTSD symptom severity and mechanistic targets (affect) underlying treatment effects. Seventy adults with PTSD (Mage = 31.31 [SD = 13.20]; 80% female participants) were randomized to five weekly PPMT or SC therapy sessions and were assessed at baseline, each weekly session, and 1-week and 3-month follow-up appointments. Measures included the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Mixed effects models indicated no significant overall differences between treatment groups on PCL-5 score improvement (p = .477). However, PCL-5 scores decreased significantly in both groups (ps < .001, d = 1.26 for SC, d = 1.42 for PPMT). Cross-lag mediation analyses indicated that neither PANAS-Positive (p = .735) nor PANAS-Negative (p = .224) scores mediated treatment group differences in PCL-5 scores over time. Post-hoc exploratory moderation analyses indicated that baseline PCL-5 severity moderated results of the primary analysis (p < .001), with participants having higher baseline PCL-5 scores (>31) showing significantly greater improvement in PCL-5 scores in PPMT than in SC (p = .028, d = .78); and PANAS-Positive scores significantly mediated treatment group differences in slopes of PCL-5 scores (p < .05). PPMT did not differ from SC in improving PTSD, although some preliminary evidence suggested that PPMT may be particularly beneficial for individuals with greater baseline PTSD severity, potentially through increasing positive affect. CLINICAL TRIALS: NCT05523453.
(Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Grant Information: R15 MH129773 United States MH NIMH NIH HHS
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Affect; Positive autobiographical memories; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Processing of positive memories technique; Randomized controlled trial
Molecular Sequence: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05523453
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260522 Date Completed: 20260707 Latest Revision: 20260813
Update Code: 20260813
PubMed Central ID: PMC13390724
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2026.105087
PMID: 42172818
Database: MEDLINE
Description
ISSN:1873-622X
DOI:10.1016/j.brat.2026.105087