Effect of Stress Management Training with Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Marital Adjustment in the Wives of War Veterans Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral stress management training on marital adjustment in the wives of the war veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is known as a stressful issue in veterans' wives; thus, it can decrease their dyadic adjustment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental group included 12 wives who were selected among 30 after training and 12 wives were selected randomly as a control group. Training program included ten 90-minute sessions. The dyadic adjustment questionnaire was Spanier. RESULTS: The results showed that there were significant differences between experimental pretest, posttest, and follow up data in experimental group. Furthermore, significant differences were observed between posttest follow up results in experimental and control groups but there were no significant difference in pretest scores. CONCLUSION: Marital adjustment can be enhanced by cognitive behavioral stress management training in the wives of the war veterans suffering from PTSD. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran , ab_mehrinejad@yahoo.com Language: fa