Effects of Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Compassion-Focused Therapy on Interpersonal-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Latinx Population: An Experimental Single-Case Study

Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) are two different treatments for PTSD, however, there is limited research on their combined efficacy, particularly in populations with high trauma-related shame and guilt. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combining PE and CFT in Latinx individuals with interpersonal trauma controlling for order effects and treatment differences during phases. An experimental withdrawal crossover single-case design was conducted with four participants reporting PTSD following interpersonal trauma and randomized into one of the two conditions: Condition 1 (A/C/B/C/B) and Condition 2 (A/B/C/B/C). Each condition began with baseline sessions (A) for active listening and trauma assessment, followed by alternating interventions of Prolonged Exposure (PE) (B) and Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) (C). Both conditions were found to be effective, with all participants showing significant and reliable improvements in PTSD symptoms at follow-up. The combined approach demonstrated improvements in PTSD severity and associated emotional experiences, particularly in reducing shame. However, variability in the effectiveness of the CFT modules was noted, with later phases showing more substantial benefits. The integration of PE and CFT appears to offer a promising treatment strategy for PTSD, especially for individuals with high levels of trauma-related shame. This study highlights the potential of combining exposure-based and compassion-focused interventions to enhance treatment outcomes. Future research might explore shame, guilt, experiential avoidance, and participant social identities in the context of interpersonal-related trauma.