The effectiveness of compassion-focused treatment on anxiety and the meaning of life of the women applying for divorce
Subject Areas : EducationalHasan Shavandi 1 , سحر خانجانی وشکی 2
1 - Department of Psychology, KhomeiniShahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, KhomeiniShahr, Isfahan, Iran.
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Arak University, Arak, Iran.
Keywords: compassion therapy, anxiety, meaning of life, divorce,
Abstract :
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of compassion-focused treatment on anxiety and the meaning of life of the women applying for divorce in Tehran. The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with control group. The statistical population included all married women applying for divorce referred to an intervention-in-crisis center under the supervision of the organization of well-being of Tehran in 2019 and the convenient sampling method was 15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. The research instruments included the Anxiety Questionnaire Beck et al (Beck, 2017) and the Life Meaning Questionnaire Stecr (Stecr, 2010). The experimental group participated in 8 sessions, 90-minute of compassion therapy sessions and the control group did not receive any intervention. Finally, the data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (analysis of multivariate and univariate covariance) and for this purpose, SPSS software version 25 was used. The results showed that in both variables of anxiety and meaning of life, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of women applying for divorce in the post-test stage in the experimental and control groups. As a result, using this treatment plan can help reduce anxiety and increase the meaning of life of women applying for divorce and the results of this study confirm the effectiveness of compassion therapy in reducing anxiety and increasing the meaning of life of women applying for divorce to be able to increase their quality of life in the divorce crisis and have a happier life.
Abolfazli, Z (2017). A study of the effect of compassionate treatment group on reducing anxiety and stress in women suffering from marital conflicts in Yazd. Master Thesis, Yazd University. [Persian]
Ali, G. (2020). The Transcendent Family in the Shadow of Fulfillment of Emotional Rights. Quarterly Journal of Family and Research, 17(1), 11-20.[Persian]
Beck, A. T., & Steer, R. A. (1990). Manual for the Beck anxiety inventory. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
Bratt, A. S., Svensson, I., & Rusner, M. (2019). Finding confidence and inner trust as a parent: experiences of group-based compassion-focused therapy for the parents of adolescents with mental health problems. International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being, 14(1), 1684166.
Dehdari, Narges (2013). The relationship between having meaning in life with students' anxiety and stress. Master Thesis, Chamran University. [Persian]
Elaine, B. J & Hollins, M. (2016). Exploration of a training programme for student therapists that employs compassion-focused therapy (CFT) to develop compassion for self rumination. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 22, 5-13.
Fredman, S. J., Pukay-Martin, N. D., Macdonald, A., Wagner, A. C., Vorstenbosch, V., & Monson, C. M. (2016). Partner accommodation moderates treatment outcomes for couple therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 84(1), 79.
Gilbert, P. (2010). Compassion-focused therapy: Distinctive features (CBT distinctive features). London: Routledge.
Gilbert, P. & Procter, S.(2016). Compassion focused therapy for people with high Meaning in Life and anxiety: overview and pilot study of a group therapy approach. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy; 13: 353-79.
Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 6-41.
Harmon, D. K.H. (2017). Black men and marriage: the impact of spirituality, religiosity and marital commitment on marital satisfaction. Unpublished doctoral dissertation: Alabama University.
Haimi, M., & Lerner, A. (2016). The impact of parental separation and divorce on the health status of children, and the ways to improve it. Journal of Clinical & Medical Genomics, 1-7.
Heron, J., O'Connor, T. G., Evans, J., Golding, J., Glover, V., & ALSPAC Study Team. (2004). The course of anxiety and depression through pregnancy and the postpartum in a community sample. Journal of affective disorders, 80(1), 65-73.
Ho, M. Y., Cheung, F. M., & Cheung, S. F. (2010). The role of meaning in life and optimism in promoting well-being. Personality and individual differences, 48(5), 658-663.
Irons, C. & Lad, S. (2017). Using Compassion focused therapy to Work with Shame and Self-Criticism in Complex Trauma. Australian Clinical Psychologist, 3(1): 47-54.
Kayser, K. (2018). When love dies: the process of marital disaffection. New York: Guilford Press.
Kolts, R. L. (2016). CFT made simple: a clinician's guide to practicing compassion-focused therapy. New Harbinger Publications.
Lavas, F.(2017). The Relationship between meaning of life and optimism with subjective well-being. Journal of Psychology, 17: 3-17.
Lander, A. (2019). Developing self compassion as a resource for coping with hardship: exploring the potential of compassion focused therapy. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36(6), 655-668.
Montague, M. (2014). The effects of cognitive and metacognitive strategy instruction on the mathematical problem solving of middle school students with learning disabilities. Journal Learning Disability, 25, 230-248.
Morrison, D.(2011(. The Divorce process and young children's well-being. Jornal of marriage and the family,2(2)303-314.
Maboudi, Zohreh (2015) A study of the effectiveness of Compassion focused therapyon the meaning of life and marital commitment of couples suffering from marital conflict in Karaj. Master Thesis, University of Tehran. [Persian]
Mazdeh, R. Z., Grafar, A., Davarniya, R., & Gharmkhani, M. B. (2019). The effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) in improving quality of life and parental self-efficacy in mothers of autistic children. Depiction of Health, 9(4), 233-243. [Persian]
Mohsenzadeh, Siavash (2012) A study of the effectiveness of compassion therapy on anxiety, stress and marital intimacy of couples with marital conflict in Jiroft. Master Thesis, Kerman University. [Persian].
Moeini, Kobra (2017) Evaluation of the effectiveness of cognitive compassion treatment on improving the quality of life, anxiety and stress of depressed students in Yasuj. Master Thesis, Shiraz University. [Persian]
Minochin, Salvador, (1394). Family and family therapy. Translated by Baqer Sanaei Tehran, Amirkabir
Neff, K. D. (2009). The role of self-compassion in development: A healthier way to relate to oneself. Human development, 52(4), 211-214.
Neff, K.D. & Germer, C.K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful selfcompassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(3): 28- 44
Scoon, J & Govandagr, M.(2010). Negative metacognitive beliefs moderate the influence of perceived stress and anxiety in long-term anxiety. Psychiatry research, 25, 20-29.
Sexton, M.B., Michelle, R.B. & Kluge, S.(2013). Compassion focused therapy in women experiencing infertility using the CD-RISC: Examining infertility-related stress, general Anxiety, and friendship. Journal of Psychiatric Research; 44: 236–241.
Saadati, Elham (2013) A study of the effectiveness of compassionate treatment on improving anxiety and stress in infertile women with obsessive-compulsive disorder in Hamadan. Master Thesis, Hamadan Azad University. [Persian]
Sinapour, Maryam (2017) A Study of the Effectiveness of Compassion focused therapyGroup on Anxiety and Cognitive Flexibility of Infertile Women Visiting Mashhad Specialized Center for Modern Infertility Treatment. Master Thesis, University of Tehran. [Persian]
Shalani, Moin (2016) A study of the effectiveness of compassion therapy on improving meaning in life, self-health and stress of divorced women in Talesh. Master Thesis, Rasht University. [Persian]
Selegman, Martin; Rosnhan, David & Walker, Aline. (2013) Psychological pathology. Translated by Reza Rostami; Siamak Tahmasebi; Jamileh Zarei; Saeedeh Zanoozian and Violet Farzin Rad. Tehran: Arjmand Publications.
Tirch, D. (2017). The compassionate-mind approach to overcoming anxiety: Using the compassion-focused therapy (CFT) to treat worry, panic, and fear. American institute for cognitive therapy, 38, 6-29.
Wells, A. & King, P.(2016) Metacognitive therapy for generalize anxiety disorder: an open trial. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry; 37(3): 206-12.