A Comparison of the Impact of Group Spiritual Therapy and Logotherapy on the Anxiety and Depression Symptoms of the Wives of Disabled Veterans Suffering from War-Related PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is perceived to be one of the main war-related complications for those involved in a war, which is associated with unpredictable, destructive, and long-term consequences for the injured person, his family, and the society where he lives. This study is aimed at comparing the effectiveness of group spiritual therapy and logotherapy on reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression among the wives of disabled veterans with war-related PTSD. The present study is a quasi-experimental research work with pretest-posttest and a control group waiting for therapy. The study population consisted of the wives of disabled veterans with war-related PTSD referring to Sadr Psychiatry Hospital in Tehran in 2016. A sample of 36 subjects was selected from among the wives of disabled veterans with war-related PTSD using the convenience sampling method and considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned into 3 groups: spiritual therapy group, logotherapy group, and waiting-for-therapy control group each including 12 subjects. Then the shortened, revised, and ninety-symptom version of the SCL Questionnaire was completed by the three groups. The spiritual therapy experimental group received eleven 90-minute sessions of training, and the logotherapy group received ten 90-minute sessions of training. The control group received no intervention or training. After completing the course of treatment, both groups were retested. Using the SCL Questionnaire the extent of anxiety and depression among the subjects was measured at pre- and post-tests stages. The results of data analysis carried out using the multivariate covariance analysis revealed that spiritual therapy and logotherapy reduce anxiety and depression among the wives of disabled veterans with war-related PTSD. Also, the results showed that there is no significant difference between the impact of spiritual therapy and logotherapy on alleviating the symptoms of anxiety and depression among the wives of disabled veterans with PTSD (p<0/001). Spiritual therapy and logotherapy intervention is effective in reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression among the wives of disabled veterans with post-war PTSD.