Effectiveness of a Group Counseling Intervention for Turkish University Students with Childhood Trauma

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the effects of an eclectic group counseling intervention based on the cognitive and behavioral counseling approach and positive psychology-based practices on the rumination and life satisfaction levels of university students with childhood trauma in Turkey. The research was designed as an exploratory sequential mixed-method study. The first phase of the research focused on discovering what university students with traumatic stories needed to reduce their rumination levels and increase their life satisfaction. The themes that were obtained contributed to the content of the program. In the second phase, forty-two participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The Rumination Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were applied as data collection tools. A 12-session group psychological counseling program was provided once a week to the experimental group. No intervention was made in the control group. One week after the sessions were completed, the posttest was administered to the experimental and control groups, and follow-up measurements were carried out two months later. The participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in decreasing rumination levels and increasing life satisfaction compared to the participants in the control group, and these improvements were maintained in the follow-up measurements. In the last phase, the qualitative data collected during the sessions were analyzed to evaluate the program. In conclusion, the group counseling intervention was effective in reducing the rumination levels and increasing the life satisfaction levels of university students.