TY - JOUR
T1 - The process of change and efficacy of trauma-focused social adjustment therapy (TF-SAT) on psychosocial adjustment of young individuals with complex trauma-related disorders
T2 - a case study
AU - Izadikhah, Zahra
AU - Forooshani, Sayedhabibollah Ahmadi
AU - Murray, Kate
AU - Renzaho, Andre M.N.
PY - 2024/9/9
Y1 - 2024/9/9
N2 - Trauma-focused social adjustment therapy (TF-SAT) is a specialized therapeutic protocol proposed to target treatment-resistant effects of trauma on young individuals' psychosocial adjustment. This pilot study aimed to investigate the hypothesized process of change and efficacy of TF-SAT. Using a single-subject case study design, two young adults (one female, aged 22, and one male, aged 30) with a history of complex trauma and current significant problems with psychosocial adjustment participated in a semistructured intervention delivered on a weekly basis for over a period of 8 months. The trend of change in the variables of interest was evaluated through repetitive assessments during the baseline, therapeutic, and follow-up phases. The results of visual analysis, D index, and the percentage of nonoverlapping data showed that TF-SAT improved social problem-solving, reduced cognitive avoidance, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and improved overall social adjustment. One-month follow-up assessments identified stable improving trends for both participants after completing the therapeutic process. Based on our findings, TFSAT is a promising short intervention to be used with young individuals with a complex trauma history and struggling with psychosocial adjustment. However, more controlled empirical studies are required to evaluate the efficacy and the applicability of TF-SAT in different therapeutic contexts and with larger sample sizes.
AB - Trauma-focused social adjustment therapy (TF-SAT) is a specialized therapeutic protocol proposed to target treatment-resistant effects of trauma on young individuals' psychosocial adjustment. This pilot study aimed to investigate the hypothesized process of change and efficacy of TF-SAT. Using a single-subject case study design, two young adults (one female, aged 22, and one male, aged 30) with a history of complex trauma and current significant problems with psychosocial adjustment participated in a semistructured intervention delivered on a weekly basis for over a period of 8 months. The trend of change in the variables of interest was evaluated through repetitive assessments during the baseline, therapeutic, and follow-up phases. The results of visual analysis, D index, and the percentage of nonoverlapping data showed that TF-SAT improved social problem-solving, reduced cognitive avoidance, psychological distress, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and improved overall social adjustment. One-month follow-up assessments identified stable improving trends for both participants after completing the therapeutic process. Based on our findings, TFSAT is a promising short intervention to be used with young individuals with a complex trauma history and struggling with psychosocial adjustment. However, more controlled empirical studies are required to evaluate the efficacy and the applicability of TF-SAT in different therapeutic contexts and with larger sample sizes.
KW - cognitive capacities
KW - social adjustment
KW - trauma
KW - trauma-focused social adjustment therapy
KW - young individuals
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205339370&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/trm0000525
DO - 10.1037/trm0000525
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85205339370
SN - 1534-7656
VL - 31
SP - 181
EP - 194
JO - Traumatology
JF - Traumatology
IS - 2
ER -