The Effectiveness of Hope Therapy on Attitude towards Life and Self-Compassion in Women Experiencing Emotional Divorce

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, MaS.C., Islamic Azad University, Masjed Soleiman, Iran

2 Department of Psychology and Counselling, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

10.30476/whb.2026.107110.1355

Abstract

Background: The significant prevalence and adverse consequences of emotional divorce among women underscore the necessity for investigating therapeutic interventions, such as hope therapy, to enhance their attitude towards life and self-compassion. The present study investigated whether hope therapy could improve attitude toward life and self-compassion in women undergoing emotional divorce.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design involving control group. The target population included all women experiencing emotional divorce who sought counseling services in Ahvaz, Iran during 2022. Forty participants were recruited using convenience sampling technique and then randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group, with 20 participants in each. Data were collected using two standardized instruments: the Life Orientation Test-Revised and the Self-Compassion Scale. The experimental group received an eight-session hope therapy intervention, with each session lasting 90 minutes. In contrast, the control group received no therapeutic intervention. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to analyze the collected data and determine the impact of the intervention.
Results: The study results indicated a statistically significant positive effect of hope therapy on both attitude towards life and self-compassion in the post-intervention assessment compared with the control group (P<0.001). In the experimental group, the mean score for attitude towards life increased from 26.00 (SD=5.81) at pre-test to 33.47 (SD=6.46) at post-test (P=0.001), while the control group showed no significant change (pre-test: 25.53, SD=6.44; post-test: 25.73, SD=6.54; P=0.923). Similarly, the mean self-compassion score in the experimental group improved from 28.54 (SD=6.05) to 35.07 (SD=7.94; P=0.006), while the control group exhibited no significant improvement (pre-test: 27.47, SD=7.34; post-test: 28.00, SD=7.73; P=0.825).
Conclusions: This study demonstrated that hope therapy significantly enhances both attitude toward life and self-compassion among women undergoing emotional divorce. The findings highlighted the efficacy of intervention in fostering positive psychological outcomes, with the experimental group demonstrating substantial improvements in both domains compared with the minimal changes observed in the control group.

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