The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy-based group counseling on depressive symptomatology, anxiety levels, automatic thoughts, and coping ways Turkish nursing students: A randomized controlled trial

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based group counseling focused on depressive symptoms, anxiety levels, automatic thoughts, and coping ways among undergraduate nursing students with mild to moderate depressive symptoms. Design and Methods A randomized, nonblinded, controlled trial was conducted. The study was completed with a total of 63 participants (n = 31, intervention group; n = 32, control group). The effect of the intervention was evaluated with Beck depression inventory, Beck anxiety inventory, automatic thoughts questionnaire, and ways of coping questionnaire. The measurements were taken three times: pretest, posttest, and 2-months posttest. Findings CBT-based group counseling was found to reduce depressive symptoms, automatic thoughts, and ineffective coping with stress and to increase effective coping with stress. In both groups, 2-months posttest mean anxiety score was lower than the pre-test mean score. Practice Implications CBT-based group counseling reduced depressive symptoms, automatic thoughts, and emotion-focused/ineffective ways for coping with stress.