The Efficacy of Psychodrama on Emotional-Cognitive Regulation and Self-harm in Soldiers with Traits or Borderline Personality Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of psychodrama on emotional cognitive regulation and self-harm in soldiers with traits or borderline personality disorder. The research was a semi-experimental method with a pre-test and post-test with a control group that was wating for treatment. The statistical population included all soldiers with traits or borderline personality disorder which had been referred to Army Ground Forces Psychiatric Subspeciality Hospital of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran for outpatient treatment during 2019, and 20 of them were selected by available purposive sampling methods and randomly divided in the experimental and control groups(10 people in each group). The experimental group was under treatment within 12 sessions of 90 minutes. Klonsky self-harm scales, Garnefski and kraaig cognitive emotion regulation scales were administered before the start of treatment and the end of treatment sessions. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. The results showed an improvement in emotional cognitive regulation and a reduction in self-harm in the experimental group compared to the control group waiting for treatment. As a result, this treatment can be used to emotional cognitive regulation and self-harm in soldiers with traits or borderline personality traits or disorders.

Keywords

• borderline personality disorder
• emotional-cognitive regulation
• psychodrama
• self- harm