Evaluation of the Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Effect on the Self-Satisfaction of Depressed Soldiers Hospitalized in the Psychiatric Ward of Selected Hospitals in Ahvaz

Low Self-esteem can lead to mental illness. Some of the soldiers may suffer from problems such as depression and low self-esteem during their military service.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of group cognitive-behavioral therapy on the self-esteem of depressed soldiers hospitalized in the medical wards of selected hospitals in Ahvaz.

This quasi-experimental study was performed in 2020-2021. Eighty-eight soldiers who were hospitalized in psychiatric wards with a diagnosis of major depression were recruited using convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups by tossing coins. To assess the self-esteem of soldiers, the Rosenberg scale was used in the pre-intervention stage and one week after the intervention. The +10 and -10, scores show the high and low levels of self-esteem, respectively. In addition to drug therapy, the experimental group entered group cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions in six 60-minute sessions. The researchers in the control group performed no intervention. They received only drugs.

The mean score of soldiers’ self-esteem in the pre-intervention stage in the experimental and control groups was (-4.13±3.91) and (-6.39±1.81), respectively, (P= 0.190). In the post-intervention stage, the self-esteem score in the experimental and control groups was (3.68±3.31) and (-5.86±2.77), respectively (P< 0.0001). So that the score of the experimental group was higher than the control group. Also, the results showed that the score of the experimental group increased in the post-test stage.

Group cognitive-behavioral therapy has a positive effect on the self-esteem of depressed soldiers. Therefore, it is recommended that the health team use it as a standard, affordable and cost-effective method to improve the self-esteem of depressed soldiers.