Efficacy of Short–Term Anxiety-Regulating Psychotherapy on Love Trauma Syndrome

Objective: This study has been conducted to investigate the efficacy of short-term dynamic psychotherapy on Love Trauma Syndrome (LTS) in female students. LTS includes a constellation of intensive signs and symptoms which appear following the breakdown of a romantic relationship after a long time. It interrupts personʹs function in many areas (academic, social or professional) and leads to maladaptive reactions. Methods: This study was a multiple baseline single-case experimental study. The sample included five cases who were selected based on purposeful sampling procedure. The intervention was conducted based on McCulloughʹs manual for short-term dynamic psychotherapy. In general, the study consisted of three stages including the baseline evaluation, the intervention period, and follow-up. The instruments included the Love Trauma Inventory (LTI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Global Assessment Function (GAF) of DSM-IV and Millon Personality Inventory MCMI-II the data were analyzed using the clinical significance method and the recovery percent formula. Results: All subjects who completed the treatment showed significant improvement in their symptoms including depression and general functioning. Conclusion: It appears that McCulloughʹs short term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy is effective in treating LTS. Declaration of Interest: None. Clinical trial registration: URL: 13Thttp://www.irct.ir/13T Unique identifier: IRCT 138903063996N2 Citation: Dehghani M, Atef-Vahid MK, Gharaee B. Efficacy of short–term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy on love trauma syndrome. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci 2011; 5(2): 18-25.