Providers' Use of Evidence-Based Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Influence of Training, Attitudes, and Barriers in Military and Private Treatment Settings

From 2006 through 2010, the U.S. military initiated service-wide programs to train hundreds of military behavioral health providers in evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research shows that less than 25 percent of patients in need of treatment for PTSD receive EBTs and nearly half of providers trained in EBTs for PTSD do not use them. This study surveyed ninety-one providers treating active duty soldiers for PTSD regarding their PSTD assessment and treatment practices, as well as their training history and acceptance of and perceived barriers to use of cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, and eye movement densitization and reprocessing in military and private treatment settings. Barriers were reported that inhibit greater use of EBTs for PTSD, including clinic setting barriers and provider attitudes toward specific treatment approaches. Strategies for dissemination and implementation of EBTs that consider important organizational, provider, and patient characteristics will be recommended based on study findings.