Efficacy of eclectic group counseling in addressing stress among Thai police officers in terrorist situations

Abstract

This study aims to develop the eclectic group counseling intervention for Thai police officers to reduce the risk of developing symptoms of poor mental health while deploying in terrorist situations. We predicted that eclectic group counseling would significantly reduce high scores of anxiety, depression, social dysfunction, physical symptoms, hostility, phobic anxiety, and interpersonal sensitivity. Our eclectic group counseling included the interactive model of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, religious interventions, mandala drawing, and Reality Therapy. The design is an experiment-controlled trial with 42 participants (The experiment = 20, the control = 22; Thai-Buddhists = 32, Thai-Muslims = 10). Their mean age was 35.64 ± 9.99 ranging from 23 to 54 year olds. They were selected from 416 police officers derived by cluster random sampling using Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition, the General Health Questionnaire Thai version, and the Symptom Checklist 90. The data were analyzed by two-way MANOVA and ANOVA. The results supported the hypothesis.