Influence of comorbid social anxiety disorder in PTSD treatment outcomes for Prolonged Exposure in female military sexual trauma survivors with PTSD

Objective Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychiatric disorder that frequently presents alongside other comorbid diagnoses. Although several evidence‐based psychotherapies have been well‐studied for PTSD, limited research has focused on the influence of diagnostic comorbidity on their outcomes. The present study sought to investigate the influence of comorbid social anxiety disorder on treatment outcomes in patients with PTSD. Methods One hundred and twelve treatment‐seeking female veteran participants with PTSD completed baseline assessments and received 12–15 sessions of Prolonged Exposure. Symptom measures were completed biweekly as well as at immediate posttreatment, 3‐month, and 6‐month follow‐ups. Results Thirty (26.8%) participants seeking PTSD treatment also met diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder. Multilevel modeling was used to examine effects of social anxiety disorder diagnosis on post‐intervention symptoms and revealed significantly worse outcomes for symptoms of PTSD and depression in participants with comorbid PTSD and social anxiety disorder. Conclusion Consistent with previous studies of co‐occurring PTSD and depression, present findings suggest that comorbid diagnoses may adversely affect disorder‐specific treatment outcomes. As such, the presence of diagnostic comorbidity may merit further consideration and potential adaptions to the traditional, disorder‐specific assessment and treatment practices for PTSD.