The Effect of Cognitive-Existential Therapy on Mental Pain and Self-Criticism in Women with Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an incapacitating chronic disorder. Traffic accidents are one of the most common causes of mental disorders associated with trauma. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effect of cognitive-existential therapy on mental pain and self-criticism in women with symptoms of PTSD.

The research was quasi-experimental, based on the pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all women with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder due to road accidents admitted to the neurology clinic of Farabi Educational and Medical Center in Kermanshah in 2020. Using the availability sampling method, 30 people were selected and randomly divided (lottery method) into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). They completed the mental pain questionnaire (Orbach et al, 2003), the self-criticism questionnaire (Zuroff and Thompson, 2004), and the Traumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire (Reed and Norris, 1997). In the experimental group, cognitive-existential therapy was conducted in ten 1.5-hour sessions, 1 session per week, but the control group did not receive any medical intervention. At the end of the training, both groups underwent the post-test. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed that cognitive-existential therapy was effective in reducing the scores of total self-criticism (Eta=0.56, p=0.016, F=4.45) and the dimensions of internal and comparative self-criticism in the experimental group in the post-test. In addition, cognitive-existential therapy significantly reduced mental pain in the experimental group (Eta=0.63, p=0.001, F=13.33).

Cognitive-existential therapy seems to be a cost-effective, non-pharmacological and effective program that reduces mental pain and self-criticism in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.