Gender Differences in Response to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Among Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn Veterans

Background: Most of our knowledge base regarding treatment response among veterans comes from predominantly male samples. Evidence suggests, however, that women and men use different coping strategies, which may impact how effective treatments are for people of different genders. The purpose of this investigation was to examine gender differences in response to acceptance and commitment therapy, an empirically supported transdiagnostic psychotherapy. Methods: Data were drawn from a multisite, randomized, controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy as compared with a psychotherapy control, namely, present-centered therapy (PCT), in veterans with emotional distress who served in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, or New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND). Although the original trial did not find a difference between acceptance and commitment therapy and present-centered therapy, we were interested in examining whether gender differences may have been obscured in the original analyses. This secondary analysis included 117 participants for whom at least one post-baseline data point was available and examined the role of gender in treatment response. Results: Gender differences were not observed on the primary outcome of general distress, but were observed in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (p < .01). Conclusions: These preliminary results suggest the possibility of gender differences in psychotherapy response and should motivate additional study of gender-specific care.