Abstract

CACERES-ORTIZ, Eduin; LABRADOR-ENCINAS, Francisco; ARDILA-MANTILLA, Paola  and  PARADA-ORTIZ, Diana. Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment focused on the trauma of victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Psychol. av. discip. [online]. 2011, vol.5, n.2, pp.13-31. ISSN 1900-2386.

The effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral treatment focused on the trauma of female victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) was evaluated. There were 73 participants diagnosed with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome). The design was pre-experimental, the instruments valid for the Colombian population to measure trauma (PTSD, depression, anxiety, self-esteem and maladjustment). The study was divided into three phases: evaluation (characteristics and consequences of the trauma), treatment (brief in eight sessions, group therapy, protocolized in components: psychoeducation, hyper-arousal, cognitive therapy and exposure). Follow-up was performed at one, three, and six months. The results indicate that IP Vis chronic, cyclical with three forms of violence tending to occur. The women are victims and several are abusers (they use physical and verbal violence). It was also demonstrated that the majority of victims (74%) suffered complex trauma. In order to demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness, the Hedges' g statistic was used, pointing out large sizes of the effect in each dependent variable: PTSD (1.98), reexperiencing (2.07), avoidance (1.55) hyper-arousal (1.49), anxiety (1.33), depression (1.07), self-esteem (1.58), maladjustment (1.24) and post-traumatic cognitions (1.17). With respect to clinical significance, the majority of women improved symptomatology after treatment, quickly in reexperiencing, anxiety, depression, self-esteem and maladjustment, and on a delayed basis in avoidance, hyper-arousal and post-traumatic cognitions. The results of the treatment were maintained during follow-ups on the clinical and statistical level. Finally, the scopes of the study are discussed and several recommendations posed for using the treatment guide in other samples.

Keywords : intimate partner violence; psychological trauma; post-traumatic stress; depression; anxiety; self-esteem; post-traumatic cognitions; maladjustment.

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