Effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of child victims of domestic violence in Iran

Background: World Health Organization has identified violence against children as a growing public-health issue with a global magnitude. However, control-trial studies on using abuse focused CBT in treating child victims of domestic violence in Iran is lacking. Method: 99 urban students (aged 8-12 years old) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, randomly assigned to each CBT or control group. Children and their parents were examined by using a Life Incidence Traumatic Events scale (LITEs), Child Report Of Post traumatic Symptoms (CROPS) and Parents Report Of Post traumatic Symptoms(PROPS) before and after treatment. Results: The findings suggested a significant between groups differences on the CROPS and PROPS. Using Cohens’ d effect size revealed a moderate to high practical significance in CBT group. Conclusion: CBT can help children to greatly recover from the outcomes of domestic violence and lead to greater improvement than what can be expected from natural recovery in control group. Professionals should use more trauma focused psycho-therapeutic methods like abuse focused CBT in the treatment.