IMPACT OF COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING THERAPY ON PTSD SYMPTOMS AMONG UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES IN BAUCHI, NIGERIA

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the conditions that affect students’ psychological, sociological and overall functioning including of students at the tertiary level. Insecurity issues in Nigeria, particularly, in North East, is a major concern that resulted to different challenges that throw the undergraduate students in to different and ugly traumatic conditions that often leads students to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleepless nights, isolation, confusion, unsecure, fear, unhealthy relationships, among others and even thinking of committing suicide. This scenario constitutes the main interest of this research. The aim of this research therefore, was to ascertain the effects of Cognitive Restructuring Therapy on University undergraduate students with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in ATBU Bauchi, Bauchi State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to determine the extent to which students suffer from PTSD, how PTSD interferes on students’ psychological, sociological and overall functioning and the effect of PTSD based on gender. For the purpose of data collection, PTSD screening scale was used to collect data that was used before and after treatment with Cognitive Restructuring Therapy and its effects on PTSD was assessed. The research design employed in this study was a quasiexperimental design with pre-test post-test method in both the experimental and control groups