Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Fall;5(2):18-25.

Efficacy of short-term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy on love trauma syndrome

Mahmood Dehghani  1 , Mohammad-Kazem Atef-Vahid  2 , Banafsheh Gharaee  2
Affiliations

Efficacy of short-term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy on love trauma syndrome

Mahmood Dehghani et al. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci. 2011 Fall.

Abstract

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 person's 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 McCullough's 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 McCullough's short term anxiety-regulating psychotherapy is effective in treating LTS.

Keywords: Depression; Love Trauma Syndrome; Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Love trauma inventory profile
Figure 2
Figure 2
BDI-II profile
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Parkes CM. Love and loss: the roots of grief and its complications. London and New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group; 2006.
    1. O'Neill C, Keane L. Love and grief: the dilemma of facing love after death. Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2005.
    1. Freud S. Three essays on the theory of sexuality. In: J. Strachey., editor. The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud . Vol 7. London: Hogarth Press; 1957. pp. 271–279.
    1. Harvey JH, Miller ED. Loss and trauma: general and close relationship perspectives. Brunner-Routledge, a member of Taylor & Francis Group; 2000.
    1. Luquet W. Short term couples therapy: the Imago model in action. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group; 2007.

LinkOut - more resources