Efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy and systematic desensitization in the treatment of rape trauma

The present study addresses the role of behavior therapies in the recovery from rape trauma by presenting two lines of evidence. First, 60 immediate-treatment seekers are compared to 24 late-treatment seekers. Although the late-treatment seekers began treatment at a time point comparable to the point at which the immediate-treatment seekers completed treatment, both groups of subjects showed comparable pre-post improvement. Second, all treated subjects (N=84) are compared to untreated subjects in assessment-only studies conducted at other sites. Although the treaated subjects in the present study were significantly more symtomatic than subjects in the assessment-only studies at initial assessment, symptom levels were comparable by three-to-four months postassault, suggesting that treatment intervention accounted for the greater change observed in the treated subjects.