Comparison the effectiveness of problem solving, prolonged exposure therapy and combined on veterans quality of life with war post traumatic stress disorder

the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of three cognitive – behavioral methods of treatment¡ including problem solving¡ exposure and combined method (formed by combining two methods of problem solving and exposure)¡ on quality and other aspects of the veterans’ life who suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The research sample consisted of 100 veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder due to war. They were divided randomly in the three experimental groups by using an quasi-experimental design with pre test and post test. These groups included: 1 - problem-solving group 2- exposure group 3- combined group¡ and a control group. Each of mentioned groups contained 25 members. The measurement tool in this study was SF36.
The results showed that all of three cognitive – behavioral methods of treatment were significantly effective in improving quality of life among Veterans with PTSD. Although there were slight differences in life quality components¡ but total scores for all groups were similar. Furthermore¡ life quality in problem solving group had been more improved after three months of treatment.
Findings of this study¡ in line with previous works¡ show that cognitive – behavioral methods of treatment are effective in treatment and improving life quality of veterans with PTSD.