Publication Date

2009

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Post-traumatic stress disorder, Post-traumatic stress disorder-Treatment, Cognitive therapy, Group psychotherapy, Veterans-Mental health, Combat-Psychological aspects, Depression in men, Guilt, Grief in men, Veterans Administration Medical Center (Atlanta, Ga.), Combat veterans, PTSD

Abstract

This study examines the potential multifaceted relationship between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), grief, guilt and depression. A sample pool of 32 veterans diagnosed with chronic PTSD volunteered as participants for this study by completing the Posttraumatic stress disorder checklist (PCL), the Beck Inventory for Depression (BDI), the Prolonged Grief Diagnostic tool, and the Traumatic Related Guilt Inventory (TRGI), pre- and post- group based exposure therapy treatment (GBET). Participants for this study were all male veterans, who ranged in ages from 47-64 years old. Twenty of the participants were African American/Black; 11 participants were Caucasian/White; and one participant identified as "other." A paired t-test was run and a paired correlation test was run to determine the change in PTSD, depression, grief and guilt symptoms pre- and post- GBET to determine if there was a significant relationship (positive or negative) between, PTSD and guilt, PTSD and grief, grief and guilt, depression and guilt and depression and grief. Findings showed that all symptoms decreased after four months of GBET treatment and a relationship was strong between grief and guilt post treatment. A relationship was moderate between grief and depression post treatment and guilt and depression post treatment.

Language

English

Comments

iv, 42 p. Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-40)

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