efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in students with covid-19 anxiety

Background: the covid-19 pandemic has aroused fear and anxiety in many people worldwide. objectives: the study was conducted to measure the efficacy of internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (icbt) for mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd) in students with covid-19 anxiety. methods: this semi-experimental study was conducted as a pre-post-test with a control group. the statistical population of the research included the students of the tarbiat modares university in the academic year 2021. to collect the required data, 30 students with covid-19 anxiety were randomly allocated to control (n = 30) and experimental (n = 30) groups. the data collection tools included a questionnaire on covid-19 anxiety, mental health, ptsd, and ocd. following the pre-test, icbt was implemented in eight 90-minute sessions for the experimental group. to analyze the data, spss software version 24 and the multivariate covariance analysis were used. results: it was revealed that icbt could significantly increase mental health (m = 54.26, f = 33.38) and reduce ptsd (m = 67.20, f = 30.43) and ocd (m = 116.13, f = 19.11) in students with covid-19 anxiety (p < 0.01). conclusions: in general, it can be acknowledged that icbt has promoted mental health and reduced ptsd and ocd. accordingly, it is suggested to hold workshops and virtual programs by psychologists for students with covid-19 anxiety.