PTSD treatment recall study: fewer than one-third accurately described their assigned option

Investigators examined how well adults screening positive for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) retain information about treatment options after receiving standardized descriptions. The sample comprised 887 participants who were presented with descriptions of seven PTSD treatment options and asked to recall each treatment's effectiveness and whether it qualified as trauma-focused talk therapy.

Participants were additionally assigned a treatment and asked to write a brief description of it as though explaining the option to a loved one. Correlates of recall, including educational attainment and numeracy, were also assessed. The abstract does not describe the study as a randomized controlled trial; only the treatment assignment for the description task was randomized.

Recall was poor across measures. Accurate recall of treatment effectiveness was under 50%, and accurate identification of whether a treatment was trauma-focused talk therapy was under 75%. When participants attempted to describe their assigned treatment in their own words, only 31.8% produced an accurate description. The abstract does not report p-values, effect sizes, or subgroup breakdowns by educational attainment or numeracy.

Safety outcomes and adverse events are not applicable and were not reported, as this was an informational recall study rather than a treatment trial. Limitations include reliance on a single recall assessment and the absence of detail in the abstract about sampling frame, setting, or timing of recall testing. The authors conclude that patients retain little information about PTSD treatment options and highlight the need for strategies that strengthen memory and comprehension during psychoeducation and shared decision-making.

For clinicians, the findings argue for structured reinforcement, teach-back, and written aids when reviewing PTSD treatment choices, rather than relying on a single verbal description.