Comparing the Efficacy of Competitive Memory Training (COMET) and MEmory Specificity Training (MEST) on Posttraumatic St
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Comparing the Efficacy of Competitive Memory Training (COMET) and MEmory Specificity Training (MEST) on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Newly Diagnosed Cancer Patients Sharareh Farahimanesh1,2 · Alireza Moradi3 · Meysam Sadeghi2 · Laura Jobson4 Accepted: 5 November 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Background Cancer has been considered a potentially traumatic experience and is a distinct pathway by which one might develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study compared the efficacy of COmpetitive MEmory Training (COMET), an intervention aimed at altering dysfunctional self-representations, and MEmory Specificity Training (MEST), an intervention targeting autobiographical memory deficits, on PTSD and depression symptoms. As a secondary aim, we also investigated the effect of COMET and MEST on trauma-related attentional biases. Methods Sixty newly diagnosed cancer patients with PTSD were randomly assigned to either the COMET (n = 30) or MEST groups (n = 30). Each participant completed the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5, Beck Depression Inventory-II and a dot-probe task. The groups then underwent either COMET or MEST. All the assessments were re-conducted after the treatment (post-treatment) and at three months post-treatment (follow-up). Results The COMET group had significantly fewer PTSD and depression symptoms compared to the MEST group at posttraining and follow-up. Both groups indicated a significant reduction in attentional biases following training. Conclusions This study suggests that COMET is a promising brief intervention for the treatment of PTSD in cancer patients. Keywords Post traumatic stress disorder · Cancer · Attention bias · Competitive memory training
Introduction According to GLOBOCAN estimates, 18.1 million cancer cases were expected in 2018 (Bray et al., 2018). The nature of cancer and its treatment makes it a distinctive stressor (Gurevich et al., 2002; Mehnert & Koch, 2007), which has been associated with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (French-Rosas, Moye, & Naik, 2011). PTSD is characterised by symptoms of avoidance, hyperarousal, * Alireza Moradi [email protected] 1
Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2
Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Psychology, Kharazmi University, Institute for Cognitive Science Studies, 43 South Mofatteh Avenue, Tehran, Iran
4
Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
re-experiencing of the trauma, and negative changes in mood and cognition (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Among people suffering from cancer, almost 40% experience significant social and emotional distress while receiving treatment (Pranjic, Bajraktarevic, & Ramic, 2016) and about one-third of patients require mental health interventions (Grassi, Spiegel, & Riba, 2017). While cancer patients fulfilling diagnostic PTS
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