Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy for Abused Children with Post Traumatic Stress: The Case of Institutionalized Children, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual and physical abuse against children and adolescents are major public health and social problems around the world. Child physical and sexual abuses occur in all cultural, socio economic, educational, racial and ethnic groups. The high prevalence and the devastating negative consequences of sexual and physical abuse initiate research inquiry in the intervention and treatment aspects of the problem. Objective: This study examined whether Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy (TF-CBGT) is effective in treating both sexually and physically abused children among Kechene and OPRIFS (Organization for Prevention, Rehabilitation and Integration of Female Street Children) Children’s home. Methods: It is a control group’s pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. Sixty female participants aged 8 to 18 were selected purposefully. So as to make equivalent in terms of their score of child post traumatic stress symptoms scale and types of abuse they experienced, participants were divided in to treatment and control group. The treatment group received TF-CBGT for 3 sessions a week for a total of 12 contacts. Child posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms scale (CPSS) used to measure post traumatic stress symptoms of participants. Test was conducted before the treatment, just after the treatment and 15 days after the treatment. Results: TF-CBGT is potentially effective in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder from pretest to posttest measures. However, it is recommended to conduct a large scale study with more sample size and diversity to expand the findings of this study.