The effectiveness of trauma-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on suicidal thoughts and cognitive distortions of youth with a history of suicide

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of trauma-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on suicidal thoughts and cognitive distortions of youth with a history of suicide.
Method: In terms of purpose, the current research was of applied type and the method of conducting it was quasi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with an experimental group and a control group and a three-month follow-up period. Therefore, the statistical population of the research included 18-25-year-old people with a history of suicide who had referred to a private counseling and psychotherapy center in Tehran's 10th district in 1401. 30 people were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (15 people) and a control group (15 people). Then, Mannarino et al.'s (2014) trauma-based cognitive-behavioral therapy package was implemented on the test group. In order to collect data, the research tools included the Ellis Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (2000) and the Beck Suicidal Thoughts Scale (BSSI). For data analysis, mixed variance analysis with repeated measurements and Bonferroni's post hoc test and SPSS software version 26 were used.
Findings: F value and significance level were calculated in the analysis of variance with repeated measurement in the variable of cognitive distortions (F = 7.15 and P = 0.001) and suicidal thoughts (F = 7.40 and P = 0.001). It can be concluded that the intervention used in this study, namely trauma-based cognitive behavioral therapy as an independent variable, has significantly caused changes in the dependent variables (cognitive distortions and suicidal thoughts).
Conclusion: Based on the available findings, it can be concluded that trauma-based cognitive-behavioral therapy can be useful for the treatment of young people with a history of suicide.