Objective      To determine the impact of group psychotherapy on mental health status in new recruits.       Methods      A total of 342 new recruits were enrolled in this control study on group psychotherapy

and were randomly divided into intervention group (n=167）and control（n=165）. The intervention group received a 6- to 8-week group psychotherapy

including 6 units during military recruit training

that is

stress and relaxation training

mindfulness training

self-growth and self-harmony

social support system

rational emotive therapy

and response style. Both groups were assessed by self-rating anxiety scale (SAS)

self-rating depression scale (SDS)

Pittsburg sleep quality index ( PSQI)

symptom checklist ( SCL-90)

general self-efficacy scale (GSES)

social support scale for Chinese military personnel and simplified coping style questionnaire (SCSQ) before and after intervention

and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate validity of measures.       Results      Our model fitted data well and study data supported theoretical measurement model. Compared to the control group

anxiety

depression and quality of sleep were decreased significantly in the intervention group than the control (29.56±6.33 vs 30.85±5.86

27.11±8.41 vs 33.91±8.55

3.71±2.34 vs 4.53±2.66).        Conclusion      Group psychotherapy improves mental health of new recruits in anxiety

depression and quality of sleep during military recruit traming

and improves their self-efficacy for them.