Effectiveness of Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy on Emotional Control and Signs of Suicide in Veterans with PTSD

Aims: The existence of eight years of imposed war in Iran has caused a significant group of warriors and veterans to suffer from symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is associated at least with signs of another psychiatric disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on emotional control and signs of suicide in veterans with PTSD. Materials & Methods: In this semi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design with a control group in 2017, 40 veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder hospitalized to Ghods Hospital of Sanandaj city were selected using available sampling. They were randomly assigned into two groups: experimental group (20 veterans) and control group (20 veterans). The data collection tools were Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) and Emotional Control Questionnaire (ECQ). Patients in the experimental group received cognitive-behavioral therapy for 9 sessions. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software using univariate and multivariate covariance analysis. Findings: After modifying the pretest scores, there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups and cognitive-behavioral therapy increased emotional control (F=25.40) and its subscales and reduced suicidal ideation (F=38.19) and subscales in experimental group (p=0.001). Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in increasing emotional control and reducing suicidal signs in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.