Women’s Health Bulletin

Women’s Health Bulletin

The Impact of Transactional Analysis Group Therapy, Schema Therapy, and Emotion-Focused Therapy on Emotional Regulation in Female College Students Following Romantic Breakups

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Hadi Dehghani Neyestani 1
Seyed Hamid Atashpour 2
Hajar Torkan 2
1 Department of Counseling, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 Department of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
10.30476/whb.2025.104565.1323
Abstract
Background: Romantic breakups are a common experience for college students that can significantly impact emotional wellbeing. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of transactional analysis group therapy, schema therapy, and emotionfocused therapy on emotional regulation in female university students experiencing romantic failure.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design was employed. The target population comprised all female university students at Khorasgan University, Isfahan, Iran who had experienced romantic failure in 2022. A convenience sample of 60 female students who met these criteria was selected for participation. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four groups: transactional analysis group therapy (n=15), schema therapy (n=15), emotion-focused therapy (n=15), and a control group (n=15). Each therapy group participated in eight 90-minute sessions. Data were collected using the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc tests were conducted using SPSS version 22 to analyze the data.
Results: The results demonstrated a significant difference in post-test scores for both positive and negative emotion regulation between the experimental and control groups (P<0.001). The transactional analysis group exhibited the highest mean score (70.01±3.04) for positive emotion regulation, followed by the schema therapy group (72.26±2.74) and the emotion-focused therapy group (71.66±4.28). The control group showed the lowest mean score (29.20±4.45) (P<0.001). For negative emotion regulation, the control group had the highest mean score (55.86±5.23), while the emotion-focused therapy group showed the lowest mean score (21.46±3.70) (P<0.001). The results indicated that transactional analysis group therapy, schema therapy, and emotion-focused therapy significantly increased positive emotion regulation in female university students experiencing romantic failure compared to the control group (P<0.001).
Conclusions: This study demonstrated the effectiveness of transactional analysis group therapy, schema therapy, and emotionfocused therapy in improving emotional regulation among female university students experiencing romantic failure. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of these interventions and explore factors that may influence treatment outcomes.

Highlights

Hadi Dehghani Neyestani: (Google Scholar)

Seyed Hamid Atashpour: (Google Scholar)

Keywords
Transactional analysis
Emotions
Schema therapy
Romantic breakups
Students
  1. Gómez-López M, Viejo C, Ortega-Ruiz R. Well-Being and Romantic Relationships: A Systematic Review in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(13):2415. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16132415. PubMed PMID: 31284670; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6650954. ##
  2. Ritter LJ, Hilliard T, Knox D. "Lovesick": Mental Health and Romantic Relationships among College Students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;20(1):641. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010641. PubMed PMID: 36612961; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9819681. ##
  3. Sharifi Nejad Rodani R, Marashian FS, Shahbazi M. Comparing the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Schema Therapy on Psychological Well-being and Cognitive Distortion of Single Women with Love Trauma Syndrome. Women Health Bull. 2023;10(2):112-121. doi: 10.30476/whb.2023.98252.1227. ##
  4. Verhallen AM, Alonso-Martínez S, Renken RJ, Marsman JC, Ter Horst GJ. Depressive symptom trajectory following romantic relationship breakup and effects of rumination, neuroticism and cognitive control. Stress Health. 2022;38(4):653-665. doi: 10.1002/smi.3123. PubMed PMID: 34921589; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9786723. ##
  5. Halpern-Meekin S, Turney K. Romantic Unions and Mental Health: The Role of Relationship Churning. J Health Soc Behav. 2023;64(2):243-260. doi: 10.1177/00221465221126091. PubMed PMID: 36259176; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10246423. ##
  6. Somerville MP, MacIntyre H, Harrison A, Mauss IB. Emotion Controllability Beliefs and Young People's Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: A Systematic Review. Adolesc Res Rev. 2024;9(1):33-51. doi: 10.1007/s40894-023-00213-z. PubMed PMID: 38410118; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7615668. ##
  7. Mohammadi A, Balagabri Z. Investigating the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Training on Mental Health and Anxiety in Women Faced with Divorce or Emotional Betrayal. Women Health Bull. 2024;11(3):203-12. doi: 10.30476/whb.2024.102007.1277. ##
  8. Compas BE, Jaser SS, Dunbar JP, Watson KH, Bettis AH, Gruhn MA, et al. Coping and Emotion Regulation from Childhood to Early Adulthood: Points of Convergence and Divergence. Aust J Psychol. 2014;66(2):71-81. doi: 10.1111/ajpy.12043. PubMed PMID: 24895462; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4038902. ##
  9. Kadović M, Mikšić Š, Lovrić R. Ability of Emotional Regulation and Control as a Stress Predictor in Healthcare Professionals. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;20(1):541. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010541. PubMed PMID: 36612863; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9819563. ##
  10. Tsujimoto M, Saito T, Matsuzaki Y, Kawashima R. Role of Positive and Negative Emotion Regulation in Well-being and Health: The Interplay between Positive and Negative Emotion Regulation Abilities is Linked to Mental and Physical Health. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2024;25(1):25. doi: 10.1007/s10902-024-00714-1. ##
  11. Vally Z, Ahmed K. Emotion regulation strategies and psychological wellbeing: Examining cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression in an Emirati college sample. Neurology, Psychiatry and Brain Research. 2020;38:27-32. doi: 10.1016/j.npbr.2020.09.001. ##
  12. Rahmati F, Mosavi SE, Yousefi Z. Effects of Life Scripts in Transactional Analysis Theory on Marriage Readiness among Female University Students: A Qualitative Study. Women Health Bull. 2024;11(1):38-46. doi: 10.30476/whb.2024.101175.1263. ##
  13. Safinia G, Ebrahimi Moghadam H, Abolmaali K. Effect of Transactional Analysis Training on Communication Skills and Attribution Beliefs of Incompatible Women. Women Health Bull. 2021;8(3):170-178. doi: 10.30476/whb.2021.90920.1116. ##
  14. Etemadi-Chardah N, Matinpour B, Heshmati R. Effectiveness of Transactional Analysis Group Therapy on Addiction Intensity of Woman Patients Treated with Methadone. Addict Health. 2017;9(3):146-155. PubMed PMID: 29657695; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5894794. ##
  15. Forghani M, Ali Ghanbari Hashem Abadi B. The Effect of Group Therapy with Transactional Analysis Approach on Emotional Intelligence, Executive Functions and Drug Dependency. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci. 2016;10(2):e2423. doi: 10.17795/ijpbs-2423. PubMed PMID: 27822269; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5097343. ##
  16. Nowruzpoor E, Vakili P, Rezakhani SD. Effectiveness of Transactional Analysis Group Therapy on Identity Styles and Self-efficacy of Female Students in the Second District of Tehran during the Academic Year of 2018-2019. Int J School Health. 2021;8(2):118-126. doi: 10.30476/intjsh.2021.89769.1125. ##
  17. Nejad Rodani RS, Marashian FS, Shahbazi M. Relative Effectiveness of Acceptance/Commitment and Schema Therapies on Love Trauma Syndrome and Self-compassion in Unmarried Girls with Emotional Breakdown. Journal of Research Health. 2023;13(6):437-446. doi: 10.32598/JRH.13.6.1973.3. ##
  18. Mousavi S, Heidari A, Safarzadeh S, Asgari P, Talebzadeh Shoushtari M. The Effectiveness of Emotional Schema Therapy on Self-Regulation and Frustration Tolerance in Female Students with Exam Anxiety. Women Health Bull. 2024;11(3):145-152. doi: 10.30476/whb.2024.101975.1275. ##
  19. Sójta K, Strzelecki D. Early Maladaptive Schemas and Their Impact on Parenting: Do Dysfunctional Schemas Pass Generationally?-A Systematic Review. J Clin Med. 2023;12(4):1263. doi: 10.3390/jcm12041263. PubMed PMID: 36835799; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9963559. ##
  20. Mohammadi S, Hafezi F, Ehteshamzadeh P, Eftekhar Saadi Z, Bakhtiarpour S. The Effect of Schema Therapy on Sexual Self-Esteem in the Women Involved in Marital Conflicts. Women Health Bull. 2020;7(2):49-55. doi: 10.30476/whb.2020.86498.1058. ##
  21. Danaei Sij Z, Manshaee G, Hasanabadi H, Nadi MA. The Effects of Schema Therapy on Emotional Self-Awareness, Vulnerability, and Obsessive Symptoms Among Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Mod Care J. 2018;15(2):e69656. doi: 10.5812/modernc.69656. ##
  22. Nikparvar F, Sasanian F, Spencer C, Stith S. Effectiveness of Compassion-Based Acceptance Therapy and Schema Therapy on Intimate Partner Violence Victims' Psychological Health. J Interpers Violence. 2023;38(17-18):9845-9868. doi: 10.1177/08862605231169736. PubMed PMID: 37199343. ##
  23. Domic-Siede M, Guzmán-González M, Sánchez-Corzo A, Álvarez X, Araya V, Espinoza C, et al. Emotion regulation unveiled through the categorical lens of attachment. BMC Psychol. 2024;12(1):240. doi: 10.1186/s40359-024-01748-z. PubMed PMID: 38678214; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11056069. ##
  24. Ameri S, Marashian FS. Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy on Marital Disaffection and Psychological Distress in Women Traumatized by Their Husbands’ Betrayal. Women Health Bull. 2023;10(3):182-190. doi: 10.30476/whb.2023.99277.1236. ##
  25. Soltani M, Shairi MR, Roshan R, Rahimi CR. The impact of emotionally focused therapy on emotional distress in infertile couples. Int J Fertil Steril. 2014;7(4):337-344. PubMed PMID: 24520504; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3901179. ##
  26. Athari SM, Jannat Feridooni M, Hashemi Razini H. Comparing the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation and Logotherapy on Psychological Distress in Incompatible Couples. Women Health Bull. 2023;10(3):155-164. doi: 10.30476/whb.2023.97628.1213. ##
  27. Jarahi S, Madahi ME, Godarzi M. The Comparison of the Effects of Choice Theory Therapy and Behavioral Activation Therapy with and without Guided Mental Imagery on Resilience in Substance-Dependent Adolescents. Etiadpajohi. 2021;15(61):241-260. doi: 10.52547/etiadpajohi.15.61.241. Persian. ##
  28. Rosse RB. The love trauma syndrome: free yourself from the pain of a broken heart. Paris: Hachette Books; 2007. ##
  29. Tangolo AE, Massi A. Group therapy in transactional analysis: Theory through practice. New York, NY, US: Routledge; 2022. ##
  30. Young J, Klosko J, Weishaar M. Schema therapy: A practitioner's guide. New York, NY: Guilford Press. 2003. ##
  31. Johnson SM, Greenberg LS. Emotionally focused marital therapy: An overview. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training. 1987;24(3S):552-560. doi: 10.1037/h0085753. ##
  32. Garnefski N, Kraaij V, Spinhoven P. Negative life events, cognitive emotion regulation and emotional problems. Personality and Individual Differences. 2001;30(8):1311-1327. doi: 10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00113-6. ##
  33. Abdi S, Taban S, Ghaemian A. Cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire: Validity and reliability of Persian translation of CERQ-36 item. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2012;32:2-7. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.01.001. ##
  34. Etemadnia M, Shiroodi Sh, Khalatbari J, Abolghasemi Sh. Predicting Love Trauma Syndrome in College Students Based on Personality Traits, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Spiritual Health. IJPCP. 2021;27(3):318-335. doi: 10.32598/ijpcp.27.2.1096.2. Persian. ##