Intervening on persistent posttraumatic stress disorder : rumination-focused cognitive and behavioral therapy in a population of young survivors of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda

This study assessed the outcome of a brief rumination-focused cognitive and behavioral intervention in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among Rwandan adolescent survivors of the 1994 genocide. All participants (54.5% female, N = 22) aged between 15 and 18 years ( M = 16.55, SD = 0.96) met criteria for PTSD as assessed by the PTSD self-rating scale (UCLA PTSD index). Measures included questionnaires assessing PTSD, depression, and somatization. Data were obtained at four points: (1) 11 years after the genocide (baseline), (2) 13 years after the genocide (pretreatment), (3) posttreatment (2 weeks after the treatment), and (4) follow-up (2 months after the treatment). PTSD symptoms increased between baseline and pretreatment. The intervention was associated with a reduction in PTSD symptoms, with gains maintained at follow-up.