Fakour Y, Mahmoudi-Gharaei J, Mohammadi Mr, Karimi M, Azar M, Momtaz-Bakhsh M,
Volume 64, Issue 9 (1 2006)
Abstract
Background: Many studies have shown the efficacy of cognitive – behavioral
therapy and psychological debriefing in treatment of post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and a few evidences are available for using these techniques
in large scale disasters. This study aimed to asses the effect of some
psychological interventions in reducing PTSD symptoms after Bam earthquake
in different age groups.
Methods: In a before-after quasi experimental clinical trial, we compared the
efficacy of one session of psychological debriefing and three sessions of group
cognitive-behavioral therapy in bam earthquake PTSD symptoms in different
age groups. We evaluated PTSD symptoms before and immediately and three
months after interventions by CASP scaling system and analyzed data.
Results: one hundred and thirty persons entered in the study and 51 persons
excluded during interventions because of migration. Interventions were
showed to be effective only in short term period. The means of PTSD
symptoms frequency and severity of avoidance symptoms were reduced during
three months period of study which were statistically significant P<0.05.
Interventions showed no efficacy for recall symptoms in long term and hyper
arousal symptoms in short term and long term periods. There was no
statistically significant difference among age groups.
Conclusion: Psychosocial supportive interventions may be effective on some
of the PTSD symptoms but there is no difference in different age groups.
