Comparison of the effectiveness of two group interventions for adolescents exposed to interpersonal trauma

In Chile, adolescents who have suffered interpersonal trauma (including childhood sexual, physical and/or emotional abuse and neglect) are cared for in the public system by private organizations (NGOs), principally funded by the National Service for Minors (SENAME). However, state-funded services are not able to fully meet the high demand for care. Specialist Centers throughout the country have long waiting lists, forcing adolescents to wait up to a year to access the specialist care they require. SENAME estimates that the waiting list in June 2020 included 6,796 cases.
Another difficulty in Chile is that there is not enough evidence of effective psychotherapeutic interventions to treat the internalizing and externalizing symptoms of interpersonal trauma.
Internationally there is evidence supporting the use of structured models of psychotherapy, among which trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) stands out. TF-CBT has been tested individually and in groups in different parts of the world, but more evidence of its effectiveness in Chile is necessary.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) has demonstrated effectiveness in young people with depressive symptoms. It has also been successfully used with adults with childhood trauma histories. Group IPT has equivalent outcomes in young people for depression. There is currently no published evidence of IPT being used to treat trauma symptoms in youth, or of group interventions for trauma in youth.
Due to the above, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two group intervention models (TF-CBT and IPT) in stabilizing the psychosocial functioning of adolescent victims of interpersonal trauma who are on the waiting list or in a preliminary phase of engagement in specialist programs offered through the SENAME network.