Efficiency of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on the Depression and Anxiety of the Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in Psychology, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

2 Faculty member and associate professor of psychology, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Bandar Abbas Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: Mental damage is one major problem the veterans get engaged with besides physical problems. Posttraumatic stress disorder in one of the most important mental problems of the veterans which bring about other difficulties for them; therefore, the present study addressed investigating the efficiency of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the decrease of depression and anxiety of the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Material and methods: It was a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest and control group design. The statistical population included the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in the city of Bandar Abbas in summer and autumn of 2019 who referred to the martyrs and veterans consultation centers in the province of Hormozgan. 24 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder were selected through purposive sampling method and they were randomly replaced into experimental and control groups (each group of 12 veterans). The experimental group received ten ninety-minute sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy during two-and-a-half months. The applied questionnaires in the current study included anxiety questionnaire (Beck et.al, 1988), depression questionnaire (Beck et.al, 1996) and the questionnaire of post-traumatic stress disorder (Foa, et.al, 1997). The data from the study were analyzed through ANCOVA method.
Findings: The results showed that the cognitive-behavioral therapy had significant effect on the decrease of depression and anxiety of the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (p<0.001) and succeeded in the decrease of their anxiety and depression.

Keywords


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