Combining Seeking Safety With Sertraline for PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorders: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: The current study marks the first randomized controlled trial to test the benefit of combining Seeking Safety (SS), a present-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD), with sertraline, a front-line medication for PTSD shown to also impact drinking outcomes. Method: Sixty-nine participants (81% female; 59% African American) with primarily childhood sexual (46%) and physical (39%) trauma exposure, and drug dependence in addition to AUD were randomized to receive a partial-dose (12 sessions) of SS with either sertraline (n = 32; M = 7 sessions) or placebo (n = 37; M = 6 sessions). Assessments conducted at baseline, end-of-treatment, 6- and 12-months posttreatment measured PTSD and AUD symptom severity. Results: Both groups demonstrated significant improvement in PTSD symptoms. The SS plus sertraline group exhibited a significantly greater reduction in PTSD symptoms than the SS plus placebo group at end-of-treatment (M difference = −16.15, p = .04, d = 0.83), which was sustained at 6- and 12-month follow-up (M difference = −13.81, p = .04, d = 0.71, and M difference = −12.72, p = .05, d = 0.65, respectively). Both SS groups improved significantly on AUD severity at all posttreatment time points with no significant differences between SS plus sertraline and SS plus placebo. Conclusion: Results support the combining of a cognitive-behavioral therapy and sertraline for PTSD/AUD. Clinically significant reductions in both PTSD and AUD severity were achieved and sustained through 12-months follow-up, Moreover, greater mean improvement in PTSD symptoms was observed across all follow-up assessments in the SS plus sertraline group. What is the public health significance of this article? For individuals with PTSD and AUD, this study demonstrated that the combination of Seeking Safety, a present-focused trauma therapy, and sertraline, enhanced PTSD symptom reduction when compared to Seeking Safety and placebo. Drinking outcomes were significantly improved with and without sertraline. These findings suggest the benefit of an integrated cognitive-behavioral treatment and SSRI approach to co-occurring PTSD and AUD.