It’s about time: Examining the role of session timing in cognitive processing therapy in active duty military personnel

Current research into Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) examines how and for whom CPT works best, with a focus on understanding treatment outcomes in special populations. Session timing appears to have an effect on CPT outcomes in civilian samples, but the role of timing in CPT has not yet been investigated in a military sample. Thus, this study examines the relationships between session frequency and consistency and changes in symptoms and dropout in a trial of CPT in the military. Participants included 135 active duty service members who sought treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; M age = 32.6 years; 89.6% male; 41.5% White, 26.7% Black, 23.0% Hispanic). Service members participated in 12 sessions of individual CPT intended to be scheduled twice per week, and completed follow-up assessments at 2 weeks and 6 months post-treatment. Results indicated that participants attended sessions about every 6.5 days and that session frequency and consistency were not related to rate of change in PTSD or depression outcomes. Session frequency was related to dropout, such that longer time between sessions was related to increased dropout. These results suggest that the positive outcomes seen after CPT are stable despite the unique challenges in logistics seen with military service members.