The Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Depressive Symptom Severity in Adults with Major Depressive Disorder

Abstract

The present study examined the effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on depressive symptom severity among university students diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in Punjab, Pakistan. The study employed a quantitative experimental research design using a pre-test and post-test approach to assess changes in depressive symptoms following a CBT intervention. The population of the study comprised students diagnosed with MDD from selected public and private universities in Punjab, including the University of the Punjab Lahore, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Government College University Faisalabad, and the University of Sargodha. A purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 350 participants who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Reliability analysis demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency for both scales. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between BDI-II and PHQ-9 scores (r = .78, p < .01), indicating consistency between the two measures of depression. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that CBT significantly predicted depressive symptom severity, F(1, 348) = 213.52, p < .001, explaining 38% of the variance in depression scores (R² = .38). The negative regression coefficient (β = -.62, p < .001) indicated that CBT was associated with a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms among participants. The study concludes that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an effective intervention for reducing depressive symptom severity among university students with Major Depressive Disorder and highlights the importance of implementing evidence-based mental health services within higher education institutions to promote students’ psychological well-being.