Atefeh Mohammadi; Zohre Balagabri
Abstract
Background: Emotional divorce is associated with various negative mental health consequences and dysfunctional behavior patterns. This study examined the effectiveness of emotion regulation training on the mental health and anxiety of married women who experienced divorce or emotional betrayal.Methods: ...
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Background: Emotional divorce is associated with various negative mental health consequences and dysfunctional behavior patterns. This study examined the effectiveness of emotion regulation training on the mental health and anxiety of married women who experienced divorce or emotional betrayal.Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The study was conducted on women seeking counseling for divorce in Kermanshah, Iran in 2022. Thirty participants who met the criteria were randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group using random number tables. The experimental group received eight weekly 90-minute sessions of Emotion Regulation Training, while the control group did not receive any interventions. After the sessions, both groups underwent posttests under the same conditions. The Goldberg’s Standard Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Zank’s Anxiety Questionnaire (ZAQ) were administered. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 26 with descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance tests.Results: The findings showed that the mean scores for Physical symptoms (7.33±2.28; 9.33±1.95), Anxiety (7.13±2.66;8.60±2.26), Social dysfunction (10.86±2.35;13.53±2.29), Depression (8.06±2.78; 10.86±2.74), Emotional symptoms (8.93±2.05; 10.66±2.89), and Body symptoms (23.06±5.59; 29.07±4.58) in Emotion regulation training group and the control group were significant in the post-test stage by controlling the pre-test score (P=0.016, P=0.044, P=0.004, P=0.010, P=0.039, P=0.003).Conclusions: Instructional programs on managing emotions can be employed to enhance the psychological well-being of individuals, particularly women. However, additional research is necessary to validate and extend these outcomes.
