Resilience and coping strategies in cognitive behavioral group therapy for patients with panic disorder.

BACKGROUND

Although resilience and coping are important factors associated with mental health, they are rarely investigated in the treatment of patients with panic disorder (PD).

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the response to four resilience and coping strategy sessions added to the standard cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) protocol for PD.

DESIGN

Controlled clinical trial.

METHODS

The control group (n = 50) attended 12 CBGT sessions, while the intervention group (n = 50) received four additional resilience and coping strategy sessions, i.e., 16 in total. Symptom severity, resilience, coping strategies, and quality of life were assessed at baseline and post-CBGT.

RESULTS

Symptom severity and maladaptive coping strategies decreased significantly in both groups. However, the intervention group had increased resilience and improvement in the environment domain of quality of life.

CONCLUSIONS

Additional sessions have potential benefits for coping skills and resilience in PD patients, but these benefits should be evaluated in further long-term studies.