The effect of cognitive processing therapy and schema therapy on marital satisfaction and avoidant coping in war veterans with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder

Background and Purpose: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a kind of psychiatric disorders, which is related to trauma and stress and created as a result of direct experience, observation, or hearing. The avoidance of trauma reminders is a perpetuating factor of this disorder. Regarding this, the aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and schema therapy (ST) in marital satisfaction and avoidance coping among the war veterans with chronic PTSD.

Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted on 34 Iran-Iraq war veterans with PTSD, living in Kermanshah province, Iran. The participants of the study were selected using the purposive sampling technique, and then randomly assigned into two experimental groups, including the CPT and ST groups, and a control group. The data were collected by the PTSD Checklist-Military Version, escape-avoidance subscale from the Coping Styles Questionnaire, Golombok Rust Inventory, and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders. The data analysis was performed using the multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance with 95% confidence level through the SPSS version 22.

Results: Acceding to the results, there was a significant difference between the experimental groups and control group in terms of the marital satisfaction and avoidance coping (P<0.05). Accordingly, the administration of the CPT and ST resulted in the enhancement of marital satisfaction in the experimental groups, compared to that in the control group. The post-test mean marital satisfactions were 31.58±6.28 and 33.80±11.60 in the CPT and ST groups, respectively, while this value was 52.08±12.87 in the control group. Furthermore, CPT was observed to be more effective in reducing the avoidance coping, compared to the ST.

Conclusion: As the findings indicated, CPT, which is exclusively focused on trauma, and ST can encourage the clinicians to utilize an effective treatment for the recovery of PTSD.