Effectiveness of therapy groups using a cognitive behavioral approach to decrease aggressiveness of prisoners with PTSD

Background: Lack of control on irritation among prisoners afflicted with PTSD is a common symptom. Objectives: This research studied the effectiveness of a therapy group with a cognitive behavioral approach to decrease aggressiveness. Materials and Methods: This research was semi-empirical and the research plan was pre-test/post-test with a control group. The statistical community of this research consisted of prisoners afflicted with PTSD after a current event (30 prisons) in the central prison in Kermanshah. All subjects were recruited from and divided into two 15 member groups by random selection. These groups were tested by the Eysenck aggressiveness test. Then intervention was done on the test group using the O’Neill treatment protocol over 8 and a 75-minute sessions. At the end, both groups were reassessed. The research data were analyzed by covariance statistical interpretation. Results: The results show that aggressiveness among the study group after intervention decreased significantly. Conclusions: According to these findings, it can be concluded that the cognitive-behavioral treatment approach is an effective method in reducing aggression disorders associated with PTSD.