Masoumeh Zare; Shahrokh Makvand Hosseini; Parviz Sabahi
Abstract
Background: Social anxiety is often associated with reduced social interaction and is considered a symptom of social anxiety disorder. This study aimed to compare the perception of social interaction among female para-medical students with social anxiety disorder using two therapies including gestalt ...
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Background: Social anxiety is often associated with reduced social interaction and is considered a symptom of social anxiety disorder. This study aimed to compare the perception of social interaction among female para-medical students with social anxiety disorder using two therapies including gestalt therapy and psychodrama therapy.Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a pre- and post-test design with two experimental groups and a control group, along with a follow-up period. The study population consisted of female para-medical students from Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran during the second quarter of the academic year 2020-2021. A total of 61 female paramedic students were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (group 1: N=17; group 2: N=19) and one control group (N=25) using convenience sampling. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and Perceived Social Interaction Questionnaire (PSTQ) were administered. Gestalt therapy was administered to group 1 and psychodrama therapy to group 2, in eight sessions over 90 minutes per week, while the control group received no treatment. Data was analyzed using ANCOVA in SPSS version 24.Results: The mean and standard deviation of the perception of positive thoughts for gestalt therapy, psychodrama therapy, and the control group in the post-test were 51.18±8.69, 48.42±10.57, and 40.08±7.58, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of negative thoughts were 37.06±9.65, 37.21±10.02, and 42.92±10.27, respectively. The results showed a significant difference between the overall mean scores in the psychodrama therapy group (P=0.0234) and gestalt therapy group (P=0.0345); the effect of gestalt therapy was higher. The mean scores of the social interaction component in the three phases of the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up showed a significant difference between the mean scores.Conclusion: This study showed that psychodrama therapy and gestalt group therapy can decrease social anxiety in para-medical students. Moreover, the finding indicated the positive effects of gestalt group therapy intervention on the perception of positive thoughts. Therefore, further research is needed to gain more insight into the effective elements of both therapies and their mechanisms of change.
Iman Nazari; Behnam Makvandi; Naser Saraj Khorrami; Alireza Heidari
Abstract
Background: Considered as a major health concern worldwide, breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer among women. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of gestalt group therapy and reality therapy on perceived self-efficacy in women with BC.Methods: This quasi-experimental research ...
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Background: Considered as a major health concern worldwide, breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer among women. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of gestalt group therapy and reality therapy on perceived self-efficacy in women with BC.Methods: This quasi-experimental research adopted a pretest and posttest with a control group and follow-up period. The statistical population included all the women with BC visiting the subspecialty clinic of cancer in Yasuj, Iran, in 2021. We selected 60 patients via convenience sampling method. Afterwards, using a random number table, we placed them in two experimental groups and a control group (n=20 women in each group). The first experimental group received gestalt therapy (10 sessions of 60 minutes; once a week) while the second experimental group received reality therapy (based on choice theory) (10 sessions of 60 minutes; once a week). The control group was placed on the waiting list. We used the general self-efficacy scale for data collection. The data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS version 25.Results: Mean and standard deviation of the perceived self-efficacy for gestalt therapy, reality therapy, and control groups in the posttest were 52.06±8.83, 55.93±8.66, and 39.33±7.56, respectively. The results indicated that the gestalt group therapy and the reality therapy affected the perceived self-efficacy of women with BC (P<0.001). Moreover, the findings depicted no significant differences between the gestalt group therapy and the reality theory. The effects persisted in the follow-up (P<0.001).Conclusions: According to the results, the gestalt group therapy and the reality therapy could improve the psychological capacity and adaptability of women with BC in different personal and social aspects. Hence, psychotherapists are advised to employ gestalt group therapy and reality therapy in counseling centers in order to enhance perceived self-efficacy in women with BC.
