The Comparison of the effectiveness group counseling through group therapy with group cognitive-behavioral therapy on the feeling of loneliness and life expectancy among students suffering from depression disorder at Islamic Azad University of Rasht

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness group counseling through group therapy with group cognitive-behavioral therapy on the feeling of loneliness and life expectancy among students suffering from depression disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group and follow-up test. The statistical population consisted of 75 students referred to the counseling center who had depressive disorder, among them 45 who were in addition to their inclusion criteria in the Loneliness Scale of University of California at Los Angeles (1980) and  Beck Depression Inventory (1996) Scale and lower Hope in Miller Hope Scale  (1988) in a randomized design in three groups of 15 each. Allocated. The experimental group received Cognitive-Behavioral group counseling. After completion of the post-test, follow-up test was performed one month later. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of pre-test and post-test in experimental and control groups (P <0.0001). Both treatments were effective and continued until follow-up. Comparison of treatment groups indicates the same effect of group counseling on reducing loneliness and life expectancy. Group counseling in a cognitive-behavioral and cognitive-behavioral way can be an effective psychological treatment to reduce feelings of loneliness and increase the life expectancy of people with depression.