Fatma Yener ÖZCAN, Burcu CEYLAN
Mediterranean Nursing and Midwifery - 2026;6(4):315-323
Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of cognitive behavioral therapy on post-traumatic stress symptoms among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: This randomized study, conducted with pre-test and post-test control groups, was carried out with 56 first-year nursing students (intervention group = 26 and control group = 30). A data collection form and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) were used for collecting the data. Data was collected again with a pre-test prior to cognitive behavioral group therapy, a post-test at the end of the therapy, and a follow-up measurement 3 months later. Independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and mixed-design ANOVA were used to evaluate the data. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Ref: NCT06037005). Results: It was determined that 65.6% of the students exhibited post-traumatic stress symptoms and that the scores of these students during group therapy and follow-up measurements significantly differed within the group with a large effect size (P < .001). It was seen that the change in the mean total score and all subscale scores of the PCL-5 was significant over time (P < .05) and that the common effect of time interaction on total score and hyperarousal subscale scores differed significantly with a large effect size (P < .001). In the intervention group, it was found that the joint effect of the group and time interaction on the total score and subscale scores of the PCL-5 differed significantly with a medium effect size (P < .05). Conclusion: It was found that cognitive behavioral group therapy is effective in reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms following COVID-19.
