A guided single session intervention to reduce intrusive memories of work-related trauma: a randomised controlled trial with healthcare workers in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kanstrup M., Singh L., Leehr EJ., Göransson KE., Pihlgren SA., Iyadurai L., Dahl O., Falk A-C., Lindström V., Hadziosmanovic N., Gabrysch K., Moulds ML., Holmes EA.
BACKGROUND: Intrusive memories of psychologically traumatic events bring distress both sub-clinically and clinically. This parallel-group, two-arm randomised controlled trial evaluated the effect of a brief behavioural intervention on reducing intrusive memories in frontline healthcare workers exposed to traumatic events during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Participants with at least two intrusive memories of work-related trauma in the week before recruitment were randomised 1:1 to an imagery-competing task intervention (n = 73) or attention-based control task (n = 71). The number of intrusive memories was assessed at baseline and 5 weeks after the guided session (primary endpoint). RESULTS: The intervention significantly reduced intrusive memory frequency compared with control [intervention Mdn = 1.0 (IQR = 0-3), control Mdn = 5.0 (IQR = 1-17); p