Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Panic Attacks among Emerging Adults: A Quasi Experimental Design

The present research goal was to investigate the efficacy of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GCBT) in the elimination of panic attacks in emerging adults. Following a thorough literature review, a hypothesis was made that Group CBT would play a major role in reducing the high rate and intensity of panic attacks among university students in comparison with a control group. The study sample included 60 participants, who were further separated into two groups: an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). The participants were young adults aged 18-25 years, and they were recruited in the universities. Panic attack symptoms were measured by using the Panic Disorder Self Report. The Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GCBT) sessions were applied to the experimental group, whereas the control condition did not have any psychological intervention within the research period. The data were analyzed through statistical tests, descriptive statistics, and independent sample t-tests. The findings revealed that the study participants in the experimental group exhibited a drastic change in the symptoms of panic attacks at the post-test as compared to the control group. The results indicate that Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (GCBT) has the potential of being a good psychological intervention in minimizing panic attacks in emerging adults.