Comparison of the meaning of life, suicidal thoughts, and cognitive distortions between female patient affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and non-patient

Subject Areas : Thoughts and Behavior in Clinical Psychology

Masoomeh Shafiei ¹ , Sajad Basharpour ² , Hadis Heidarirad ³

1 - دپارتمان روان شناسی، دانشگاه لرستان ، خرم آباد ایران
2 - دپارتمان روان شناسی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی ، اردبیل، ایران
3 - دپارتمان روان شناسی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی ، اردبیل، ایران

Received: 2016-12-17 Accepted : 2016-12-17 Published : 2016-06-21

Keywords: suicidal thoughts, the meaning of life, cognitive distortions, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,

Abstract :

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the sets of individual’s reactions following exposure to an extreme stressor. The aim of this study is to compare the meaning of life, suicidal thoughts and cognitive distortions between women who experience PTSD after trauma and women who does not experience PTSD after trauma. For this purpose, during a comparative study, 200 women who had been exposed to traumatic events in Gilane Gharb were selected by simple random sampling method and allocated into two groups (with and without PTSD symptoms) based on clinical interview and the cut off point of 107 on the scale of post-traumatic stress disorder.  All the subjects in both groups were individually evaluated for meaning of life, suicidal thoughts and cognitive distortions. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that the mean scores of subjects with PTSD were significantly lower than the other group in cognitive distortion and meaning of life and its subcomponents such as; the meaning present in life, and the search for meaning in life; however, it was significantly higher in suicidal thoughts and its subcomponents including; tendency to death, preparation for suicide, and suicide completion tendencies. Given the importance of meaning in life, suicidal thoughts and cognitive distortions among PTSD patients, it is critical to prioritize these topics in therapeutic interventions and derive a formulation to reduce suicidal thoughts and cognitive distortions in order to increase mental health among patients.