The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy on Body Image Avoidance and Self-Regulation in Women with Obesity

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Psychology, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

10.30476/whb.2026.107563.1359

Abstract

Background: Obesity constitutes a major global health concern, often accompanied by substantial psychological burdens, including adverse body image and diminished self-regulation. The present study investigated the potential of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) to alleviate body image avoidance and improve self-regulation in women with obesity.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test post-test design, two-month follow-up, and a control group. The target population included women with obesity attending nutrition centers and psychological clinics in Ahvaz, Iran, from 2023 to 2024. Forty eligible participants were selected through convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=20) receiving EFT or a control group (n=20). The experimental group underwent 10 weekly 90-minute EFT sessions. For data collection, Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ) and Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ) were used. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.
Results: The experimental group (mean age: 37.5±5.8 years; mean BMI: 36.2±3.1 kg/m²) and control group (mean age: 36.9±6.1 years; mean BMI: 35.8±3.5 kg/m²) were comparable in demographic characteristics. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant within-group reductions in body image avoidance for the experimental group from pre-test (mean: 67.00±12.66) to post-test (mean: 44.07±14.59, P=0.001, η²=0.45, 95% CI [18.32, 27.54]) and sustained at follow-up (mean: 44.07±8.88, P=0.001, 95% CI [18.32, 27.54]), with no significant changes in the control group (P=0.847). Self-regulation scores in the experimental group significantly improved from pre-test (mean: 13.80±3.84) to post-test (mean: 17.13±2.67, P=0.001, η²=0.29, 95% CI [-4.76, -1.90]) and further at follow-up (mean: 17.80±2.24, P=0.001, 95% CI [-5.43, -2.57]), while the control group showed no significant change (P=0.437). Between-group comparisons indicated significant differences at post-test and follow-up for body image avoidance (P=0.001, η²=0.37, 95% CI [12.61, 30.85]) and self-regulation (P=0.001, η²=0.34, 95% CI [-5.93, -2.47]).
Conclusions: These findings suggested that EFT holds promise as a targeted psychological intervention for addressing body image avoidance and self-regulation difficulties in women with obesity.

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