STAIR narrative therapy : a therapeutic intervention for PTSD caused by childhood trauma

Abstract

As the research into the mental health field continues to expand, the widespread consensus is that the impact of multiple traumatic experiences during childhood will carry devastating effects for one’s lifelong mental well-being. For this reason, various interventions have been studied to establish an effective treatment for the most severe consequences of childhood trauma-PTSD, one of which is Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal (STAIR)- Narrative Therapy, which will be the focus of this literature review. The research question guiding this analysis states: “Is STAIR Narrative Therapy an effective treatment for PTSD due to childhood trauma?” The studies reviewed included adults that experienced PTSD symptoms due to childhood abuse, and who had received STAIR-NT for the management and skill-building of emotion dysregulation, lack of interpersonal skills and other PTSD symptoms. Studies that focused on specific populations such as refugees, veterans or victims of adulthood trauma were excluded. The search was limited to peer-reviewed journals published in the last 20 years and written in the English language. After the selection criteria were applied, a total of five randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and one cohort study were retrieved. The quality of the studies was analysed through Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools, to determine if the studies are of reliable quality. STAIR-NT was proven across all studies to be beneficial in diminishing PTSD symptoms and increasing self-agency and self-awareness. The majority of studies also noted that STAIR-NT was more successful than its compared-to treatments in fostering overall improvement. The implications of this are that CT-PTSD leads to the loss of certain crucial life skills, therefore a comprehensive treatment must address this factor prior to introducing exposure therapy. Given that STAIR-NT is still in its infancy, various future recommendations were proposed to increase both research and education on the topic. One difficulty encountered during this research process was the limited availability of literature on the topic. On that account, the ambition of this appraisal has been to contribute to the knowledge on this therapeutic intervention and the pressing mental health phenomenon of childhood trauma.