Cognitive-behavioral group therapy for girl victims of sexual violence in Brazil: Are there differences in effectiveness when applied by different groups of psychologists?

Abstract

The effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group therapy model for the treatment of girl victims of sexual violence (SV) was investigated when applied by different groups of professionals: researchers/psychologists who developed it (G1) and psychologists from the public social care network trained by the first group (G2). A <em>quasi</em>-experimental study was carried out, in which the group therapy model was applied by the two groups. A total of 103 girl victims of sexual violence (SV), aged between seven and 16 years (M=11.76 years, SD=2.02 years) were included, with 49 attended by G1, and 54 by G2. The results indicated a significant reduction in the symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and PTSD. The comparison between the results obtained by the two groups of professionals in the application of the model indicated no significant differences in the rates of improvement of the participants. These results indicate the effectiveness of the cognitive-behavioral group therapy model evaluated and the possibility of it being used as a care strategy by psychology professionals working in public services.