However, meta-analysis reveals certain treatment protocols have higher, lower dropout rates<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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MONDAY, Nov. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — One-quarter of military populations (25.6 percent) drop out of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments, although rates vary across protocols, according to research published online Nov. 17 in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy<\/em>.<\/p>\n Elizabeth A. Penix-Smith, Ph.D., and Joshua K. Swift, Ph.D., from Idaho State University in Pocatello, conducted a meta-analysis to determine whether specific PTSD psychotherapy protocols are linked to higher dropout risk among military populations.<\/p>\n Based on 181 articles providing PTSD dropout rates for 232 treatments (124,092 individuals), the researchers found that the weighted dropout rate for all PTSD interventions was 25.6 percent using a random effects model where dropout significantly differed across treatments. Higher dropout was seen for treatments with weekly formats of cognitive processing therapy (CPT; 40.1 percent), prolonged exposure therapy (PE; 34.7 percent), and virtual reality exposure therapy (37.2 percent). In contrast, lower dropout was associated with weekly formats of present-centered therapy (16.1 percent), mindfulness-based stress reduction (17.4 percent), and group-based exposure therapy (6.9 percent). The lowest dropout rates were seen with intensive outpatient programs, even when they included CPT (8.5 percent) and PE (5.5 percent).<\/p>\n “Dropout rates remain a significant challenge in PTSD care for military populations,” Penix-Smith said in a statement. “Identifying which protocols are more sustainable can help clinicians tailor care and policymakers prioritize treatments that keep patients engaged.” <\/p>\n