The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy (CBH) on Anxiety and Depression in Military Personnel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jndd.3.4.11Keywords:
Anxiety, Depression, Cognitive, Behavioral Hypnotherapy, Military PersonnelAbstract
Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy (CBH) on anxiety and depression in military personnel.
Methods and Materials: This study is applied in terms of its objective and follows a quasi-experimental design with two groups (experimental and control) and a pretest-posttest structure. The statistical population of this study included all military personnel in the city of Kermanshah in 2023–2024. The sampling method was purposive sampling. From the military personnel in Kermanshah, 30 individuals were selected as the sample based on inclusion criteria, including sufficient time to attend therapy sessions, a minimum level of literacy and comprehension to understand the content presented in the sessions, an age range of 20 to 50 years, and the presence of emotional difficulties according to the DASS tests and a semi-structured interview. Exclusion criteria included having chronic disorders, simultaneous participation in other therapeutic sessions for different disorders, absence in more than three sessions during the intervention, and withdrawal from participation. The participants were then divided into two groups of 15 (experimental and control). The data were analyzed using covariance analysis (ANCOVA) with SPSS-26 software.
Findings: The results indicated that Cognitive-Behavioral Hypnotherapy (CBH) had a significant effect on anxiety and depression in military personnel at the 0.001 level.
Conclusion: Therefore, the findings of the present study can be of interest to military personnel, psychologists, and psychotherapists for reducing anxiety and depression.
Downloads
References
Abd-alrazaq, A., AlSaad, R., Aziz, S., Ahmed, A., Denecke, K., Househ, M., Farooq, F., & Sheikh, J. (2023). Wearable Artificial Intelligence for Anxiety and Depression: Scoping Review. J Med Internet Res, 25, e42672. https://doi.org/10.2196/42672 PMID - 36656625 PMCID - 9896355
Andersen, B. L. (2023). Management of Anxiety and Depression in Adult Survivors of Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update. JCO, 41, 3426-3453. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.00293
Basir, B., Awaludin, S., & Hidayat, A. I. (2020). Hypnotherapy and Yoga Combination Decrease the Anxiety of Patients in Elective Preoperative. Jurnal Ners, 15(1), 79-84. https://doi.org/10.20473/jn.v15i1.18291
Coventry, P. (2022). Occupational Health and Safety Receptivity Towards Clinical Innovations That Can Benefit Workplace Mental Health Programs: Anxiety and Hypnotherapy Trends. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(13), 7735. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19137735
Farhadi, M., Yarmohammadi Vasil, M., Zoghi Paydar, M. R., & Chegini, A. A. (2017). The Efficacy of Hypnotherapy Based on Ego Strengthening on Treatment of Major Depression in Female‐Headed Households. Psychological Achievements, 24(1), 63-78. https://doi.org/10.22055/psy.2017.16245.1429
Golden, W. L. (2012). Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Anxiety Disorders. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 54(4), 263-274. https://doi.org/10.1080/00029157.2011.650333
Gullon-Scott, P., & Longstaff, L. (2024). The prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress and their relationship to length of service in the UK police force. The Police Journal, 97(1), 131-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X221140813
Häuser, W. (2024). Gut-Directed Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1389911
Hector, R. M. N. (2016). Selfefficacy, State Anxiety, And motivation during mandatory combativves training https://repository.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:180494/datastream/PDF/download
Marc, F., Yves, R., & Alexis, D. (2023). Interventions on Well-being, Occupational Health, and Aging of Healthcare Workers: A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews. Safety and Health at Work, 14(1), 135-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2022.12.003
Mubarokah, R. I., Prasetya, H., & Respati, S. H. (2021). The Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy to Reduce Anxiety in Pre-Caesarean Section Women. Journal of Maternal and Child Health, 5(1), 12-18. https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2020.05.01.02
Orri, S., Gudmundur, S., & Eric, A. S. (2024). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Children and Adolescents. Review article, 47(2), 311-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2024.02.002
Parsakia, K. (2024). Emotional and Cognitive Effects of Long-Term Antipsychotic Medication Use: A Qualitative Study. Psychological Research in Individuals with Exceptional Needs, 2(2), 12-19. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.prien.2.2.3
Pourhamidi, M., Sarvghad, S., Rezaei, A., & Bogholi, H. (2019). Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and cognitive-behavioral hypnotherapy in reducing anxiety symptoms and improving quality of life in junior high school students with test anxiety. Psychological Methods and Models, 10(35), 17-39. https://jpmm.marvdasht.iau.ir/article_3511.html?lang=en
Rismawan, W., Marchira, C. R., Rahmat, I., Cahyati, P., & Kurniasih, E. (2023). The Effect of Sugestic Hypnotherapy Communications to Elderly Depression on Atention, Meditation and Brain Waves. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/z5te2
Ronald, M. R., Cathy, C., Philip, C. K., Daniel, S. P., & Allison, M. W. (2024). Anxiety disorders in children and adolescents: A summary and overview of the literatureJO - Behaviour Research and Therapy. 168, 104376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2023.104376
Sadeghian, M. (2020). The effectiveness of physical activity on stress reactivity and psychological resilience of military forces https://jpmed.ir/article-1-1175-fa.html
Sanaei, N. (2020). The effectiveness of cognitive hypnotherapy in a group setting on the level of anxiety, depression, and self-image of infertile women
Talaeizadeh, M., Saadi, Z. E., Heidari, A., & Fard, R. J. (2023). The Effectiveness of Hypnotherapy and Schema Therapy in Improving Emotional Control in People Affected by Marital Infidelity. Journal of Clinical Research in Paramedical Sciences, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.5812/jcrps-136463
Toosi, F., Rahimi, C., & Sajjadi, S. (2017). Psychometric Properties of Beck Depression Inventory-II for High School Children in Shiraz City, Iran. Int J Sch Health, 66(2), 136-140. https://doi.org/10.5812/intjsh.41069
Windgassen, S., Moss-Morris, R., Chilcot, J., Sibelli, A., Goldsmith, K., & Chalder, T. (2017). The journey between brain and gut: A systematic review of psychological mechanisms of treatment effect in irritable bowel syndrome. British Journal of Health Psychology, 22(4), 701-736. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12250
Ziaei sanich, S., & Sadegh Pour, A. (2020). Effectiveness of Cognitive and Behavioral Hypnotherapy on the Self-Esteem and Emotion-Seeking of the Women with Depression Who Refer to Consultation Centers. medical journal of mashhad university of medical sciences, 62(5.1), 1882-1895. https://doi.org/10.22038/mjms.2020.15334
Downloads
Publication Timeline
- Submitted
- Revised
- Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Maryam Heidarian, Karim Afsharinia, Hassan Amiri (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.