The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on Coping Self-Efficacy and Emotional Reactivity in Victims with Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Due to Explosions in Kabul

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Psychology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that victims of traumatic events, such as war and violence, exhibit heightened emotional reactivity and difficulties in coping. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on coping self-efficacy and emotional reactivity among victims exhibiting symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) resulting from explosive incidents in Kabul.
Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. The statistical population consisted of men aged 20 to 40 residing in Kabul who exhibited clinical symptoms of PTSD due to direct exposure to war-related events. A total of 24 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, with 12 participants in each group. The experimental group received 15 sessions of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), each lasting 1 to 2 hours, while the control group received no intervention. Research instruments included the PTSD Symptom Scale by Foa (1997), the Coping Self-Efficacy Scale by Chesney (2006), and the Emotional Reactivity Scale by Nock (2008). Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses of covariance, followed by Bonferroni post-hoc tests.
Results: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in the intervention group led to a significant reduction in the total score and components of emotional reactivity (sensitivity, intensity, and persistence) compared to the control group. Additionally, there was a significant increase in the components of coping self-efficacy, including problem-focused strategies, negative thought cessation, and social support seeking (p < 0.001).
Discussion and Conclusion: The findings confirm the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in improving psychological outcomes resulting from war-related trauma among the affected Afghan population. These results underscore the necessity of expanding evidence-based therapeutic services in this context.

Keywords

References

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