ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Shariati   A. (1)
Dehghani   A. (*)






(*) Department of Clinical Psychology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran
(1) Department of Clinical Psychology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran

Correspondence

Address: Islamic Azad University, Najafabad Branch, Najafabad City, Isfahan, Iran. Postal Code: 8514143131
Phone: +98 (31) 42291111
Fax: -
dehghani2016@phu.iaun.ac.ir

Article History

Received:  September  14, 2017
Accepted:  January 8, 2018
ePublished:  April 10, 2018

BRIEF TEXT


Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the psychiatric disorders, that a high number of referral of patients with this problem to psychiatric centers (about 8%), indicate the importance of this disease [1].

... [2]. One of the most important problems for people involved with war is a post-traumatic stress disorder that is associated with unexpected or destructive consequences for the injured person, his or her family and the social being in which he or she lives. ... [3, 4]. This disorder is often associated with major depression, bipolar disorder, other anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders, and poor quality of life [5] ... [6-11]. One of the things that can play an effective role in the creation or return of PTSD symptoms is copying styles in individuals. Copying is the domination, reduction, or tolerance of damage that causes by stress. Folkman and Lazarus have discussed the concept of coping and its various methods [12]. ... [13]. Based on psychological theories, copying strategies play an important role in reducing stress and, consequently, mental health of individuals [14]. ... [15].To assess copying styles, three dimensions of problem-orientation, emotion-orientation and avoidance-orientation are considered [16]. ... [17-20]. It seems that in choosing a coping strategy, environmental, educational, and unconscious agents are effective. Of unconscious agents. Defensive mechanisms can be pointed out. Defensive mechanisms are self-regulating processes that act to reduce the perception of threatening events in order to reduce cognitive imbalance and to modify sudden changes in the inner and outer reality [21]. ... [22].The sense of coherence and mental health has a positive and significant relationship with the developed defensive style and undeveloped defensive style has a negative and significant relationship with mental health. [23, 24]. ... [25-29].

The purpose of this study was to compare the coping and defense styles of the veterans with and without PTSD.

The current study is a causal-comparative study.

This research was conducted among all men who had participated in war in Najafabad city in winter 2017.

By convenience sampling method, 80 subjects were selected as samples, out of which 40 had PTSD and 40 had no disorder. Arizi has reported a total of 40 individuals as the minimum sample size in causal comparative schemes [30]. At first, individuals with PTSD hospitalized in the Shahid Rajaee rehabilitation center were diagnosed with DSM-5 diagnostic clinical interviews. The selection of PTSD-free warriors was done by visiting the Jame Mosque and an institution for warriors in the Najafabad. Since access to veterans with PTSD was difficult, the minimum number of subjects was considered in this study. Inclusion criteria included consciousness and lack of severe symptoms, being married, lack of amputation and obtaining the minimum score in the mental health questionnaire in the PTSD-free warriors.

The Lazarus and Folkman Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) [31-33], the Defensive Styles Questionnaire (DSQ) [34, 35] and the Goldberg and Hiller General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) [36-38] were used as research tools. After ensuring the consent of the people for cooperation, for two consecutive days and in each session, a questionnaire was presented with the necessary explanations and the researcher filled out the questionnaires with a rehearsal. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 21 software. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for the normal distribution of data; Levene test was used to examine the assumption of the same variance, and multivariate analysis of variance analysis was used to examine the difference between the scores of variables between two groups of PTSD and non-disturbed warriors.

The mean age of veterans with PTSD was 49.73 ± 6.32 years and the mean age of veterans with non-disorder was 54.44 ± 9.11 years. 60.00% of veterans with disorder had diploma or less education and the rest had bachelor's degree. 53.33% of the warrior group with no disorder, had the education less than diploma and the rest had undergraduate and postgraduate education. In both groups, about 80% were married and the rest had no spouses (due to divorce or death). Both groups were comparable in terms of the economic situation. The two PTSD and non-PTSD groups had a significant difference in coping and defensive styles (p = 0.019). The mean scores in emotional-oriented coping style were significantly different in the two groups, but they did not differ in the problem-oriented coping style. The group suffering from PTSD was more likely to use emotional coping style than the non-PTSD group. Also, there was a significant difference between the mean scores in undeveloped defensive styles in the two groups, but there was no significant difference between the developed and the neurotic defense styles, which indicates that the undeveloped defense style was used more by combatants with PTSD (Table 1).

The results of this study indicated that the use of emotional-oriented copying styles among PTSD warriors compared to non-PTSD warriors. These results was in line with the research by Agha Yossefi [17], Hakami et al. [19], Karstoft et al. [20] and was inconsistent with the findings of the research by Mehrabi et al. [39]. According to the results, there was a significant difference between the undeveloped defensive styles of PTSD warriors and non-PTSD warriors. In general, there has been little research on defensive styles in people with PTSD, and the results of this study were consistent with the research by Cheung Chung et al. [28], and Kafi et al. [27]. ... [40, 41].

According to the results of the study, it is suggested that educational programs for using and identifying coping and defensive styles be hold for patients with PTSD in health and counseling centers, clinics, welfare and other places for psychological services especially rehabilitation centers for warriors in order to rehabilitate these patients . Finally, these findings help mental health professionals, including psychologists and psychiatrists, to identify effective factors in PTSD and consider effective therapeutic approaches for treatment, and prevent the incidence and exacerbation of this disorder with the necessary training. This will reduce the costs imposed on the individual, the community and the health system.

that access to PTSD warriors was a time consuming and very difficult process was one of the limitation of this study. The combatants had a reading disorder, which made it difficult to understand the options. Therefore, in order to increase the accuracy of the research, the researcher was forced to read a questionnaire and run two questionnaires in two consecutive days to prevent fatigue in patients, which took a lot of time. Another limitation was the lack of research on defensive mechanisms in combatants.

PTSD warriors are more likely than non-PTSD warriors to use the emotional-oriented style and undeveloped defensive style.

Thanks to all the warriors participating in the research and others who helped with this research.

Non-declared

All the participants were assured of the confidentiality of personal information.

The financial budget of this research has been provided by the authors.

TABLES and CHARTS

Show attach file


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