Acupuncture for the Treatment of Adults with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
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Date
2017-03-09
Authors
Grant, Sean
Colaiaco, Benjamin
Motala, Aneesa
Shanman, Roberta
Sorbero, Melony
Hempel, Susanne
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Acupuncture has been suggested as a treatment for posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), yet its clinical effects are unclear.
This review aims to estimate effects of acupuncture on PTSD
symptoms, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and sleep
quality for adults with PTSD. We searched 10 databases in
January 2016 to identify eligible randomized controlled trials
(RCTs). We performed random effects meta-analyses and examined
quality of the body of evidence (QoE) using the GRADE
approach to rate confidence in meta-analytic effect estimates.
Seven RCTs with 709 participants met inclusion criteria. We
identified very low QoE indicating significant differences favoring
acupuncture (versus any comparator) at post-intervention
on PTSD symptoms (standardized mean difference
[SMD] = −0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] [−1.59, −0.01], 6
RCTs), and low QoE at longer follow-up on PTSD (SMD = −0.46,
95% CI [−0.85, −0.06], 4 RCTs) and depressive symptoms
(SMD = −0.56; 95% CI [−0.88, −0.23], 4 RCTs). No significant
differences were observed between acupuncture and comparators
at post-intervention for depressive symptoms
(SMD = −0.58, 95% CI [−1.18, 0.01], 6 RCTs, very low QoE),
anxiety symptoms (SMD = −0.82, 95% CI [−2.16, 0.53], 4 RCTs,
very low QoE), and sleep quality (SMD = −0.46, 95% CI [−3.95,
3.03], 2 RCTs, low QoE). Safety data (7 RCTs) suggest little risk
of serious adverse events, though some participants experienced
minor/moderate pain, superficial bleeding, and hematoma
at needle insertion sites. To increase confidence in
findings, sufficiently powered replication trials are needed
that measure all relevant clinical outcomes and dedicate
study resources to minimizing participant attrition.
Description
21 pages
Keywords
alternative medicine, complementary medicine, meta-analysis, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), systematic review
Citation
Sean Grant, Benjamin Colaiaco, Aneesa Motala, Roberta Shanman, Melony Sorbero & Susanne Hempel (2018) Acupuncture for the Treatment of Adults with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 19:1, 39-58, DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2017.1289493