Effectiveness of Crisis Intervention Program in Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in COVID-19

Abstract

Background: At the close of 2019, the world faced a phenomenon that plunged all human beings into extreme fear and anxiety. A new type of coronavirus began to spread among people across the globe, and this was the beginning of one of the greatest pandemics and its associated problems in the world. People with COVID-19 have low psychological tolerance and are highly exposed to psychological disorders. One of the most important psychological disorders that can harm the mental health of people affected by COVID-19 is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the crisis intervention program in PTSD symptoms among people with COVID-19. Method: This applied experimental study was conducted based on a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population consisted of all individuals with COVID-19 in Rasht, Iran, in 2019, of whom 30 people were selected using the available sampling method and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The participants in the experimental group received 10 sessions of the crisis intervention program. Mississippi (2006) PTSD analogy (Scale) was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using the analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed a significant difference between the post-test scores of the experimental and control groups, demonstrating that the crisis intervention program was effective in PTSD (re-experience, withdrawal, numbness, arousal, and masochism) in COVID-19. The subjects in the experimental group had significantly less post-traumatic stress in the post-test group than those in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion: It can be concluded that the use of crisis intervention programs can reduce PTSD in people with COVID-19. Therefore, it is recommended that psychologists use this therapeutic approach to reduce the psychological problems of people in crisis.