Publication Date: 2025
Journal of Loss and Trauma (15325024)30(2)pp. 218-241
The present study aimed to explore the effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) in facilitating post-traumatic growth, increasing self-compassion, and reducing behavior problems among the children experiencing the 2017 Sarpol-e Zahab (Iran) earthquake. Among earthquake-traumatized 9-12-year-old girls, 24 were selected through purposive sampling. The 24 participants were randomly assigned to the experimental and the control group, each with 12 subjects. The experimental group received 12 sessions of TF-CBT, although 3 subjects left the experimental group during the sessions. Consequently, the analysis included 21 participants: 9 in the experimental group and 12 in the control group. The post-traumatic growth inventory for children revised (PTGI-C-R), the self-compassion scale-short form (SCS-SF), and the Rutter children’s behavior questionnaire for parents were completed at baseline, after the intervention, and one-month follow-up. The results indicated that compared to the control group the participants in the experimental group obtained higher scores in post-traumatic growth and lower scores in behavior problems (i.e., aggression and hyperactivity, and anxiety and depression) (p <.01) which were consistent in the follow-up period. It was also find out that, the experimental group reported higher levels of self-compassion in the follow-up (p <.01). The study suggests that TF-CBT may be effective in improving post-traumatic growth, self-compassion, and behavior problems among children affected by earthquake trauma. © 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
