Individual differences among patients with rape-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affect the likelihood they will complete a particular treatment, and clinicians can consider these moderators in treatment planning, according to a recent study. A multivariable model of dropout risk was constructed with randomized clinical trial data (n=160) comparing prolonged exposure (PE) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for rape-induced PTSD. Researchers found:

• Despite equivalent dropout rates across treatments, patients assigned to their model-indicated treatment were significantly less likely to drop out relative to patients who did not (relative risk = 0.49).
• Moderators included in the model were: childhood physical abuse, current relationship conflict, anger, and being a racial minority, all of which were associated with higher likelihood of dropout in PE than CPT.