The Effectiveness of Emotion Efficacy Therapy on Symptom of anxiety, Distress Tolerance and Difficulty in Emotion Regulation in Women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
afsaneh amiri
1
(MA Student of Clinical Psychology, Isfahan (khorasgan), Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran)
ilnaz sajjadian
2
(Associate Proffesor, Department of Clinical Psychology, Community Health Research Center, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran)
Keywords: emotion efficacy therapy, anxiety symptom, distress tolerance, difficulty in emotion regulation, generalized anxiety.,
Abstract :
Generalized anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders, the main characteristic of which is excessive anxiety and worry that is not proportional to the event or situation that is the focus of worry. The present study was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of emotion efficacy therapy on symptom of anxiety, distress tolerance and difficulty in emotion regulation. Research method was semi-experimental with a control group and one month follow-up. For this purpose, among the women who referred to cultural centers in Isfahan city in 2019, 30 people who had a score higher than the cut-off point in the general anxiety questionnaire of Spitzer et al. (2006) and who met the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly replaced in two experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). The research instruments included the hospital anxiety and depression scale (Zigmond and Snaith, 1983), generalized anxiety disorder (Spitzer et al, 2006), distress tolerance scale (Simons & Gaher, 2005), difficulties in emotion regulation scale(Gratz & Roemer, 2004). Subjects of the experimental group received 8 sessions of 90 minutes, emotion efficiency therapy (McKay and West, 2016). The results of variance analysis of repeated measures indicated the significant decrease in symptoms of anxiety, distress tolerance and difficulty in emotion regulation in the experimental group compared to the control group (p<0.05). According to the findings emotional efficacy therapy can be used as a beneficial intervention method to reduce anxiety symptoms, distress tolerance and difficulty in emotion regulation in women with generalized anxiety.
