Effectiveness of Emotion‑Focused Therapy on Psychological Well‑Being, Self‑Efficacy, and Happiness Among Lower Secondary School Female Students in Shiraz
Keywords:
Emotion-Focused Therapy, Psychological well-being, Self-Efficacy, HappinessAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and happiness among female junior high school students in Shiraz.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest control group design with a two-month follow-up. The population consisted of female students aged 13–15 years during the 2024–2025 academic year. Using multi-stage cluster sampling, 46 students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 23) or a control group (n = 23). The experimental group received nine weekly 90-minute sessions of emotion-focused therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Oxford Happiness Inventory, Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale, and the Morris Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANCOVA in SPSS (Version 28).
Findings: The results indicated that emotion-focused therapy had a statistically significant effect on psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and happiness (p < 0.05). Effect sizes showed the largest impact on psychological well-being (η² = 0.640), followed by self-efficacy (η² = 0.554) and happiness (η² = 0.184).
Conclusion: Emotion-focused therapy, when delivered in a group format and adapted to adolescents’ cultural and developmental context, appears to be an effective intervention for enhancing psychological well-being, self-efficacy, and happiness among female junior high school students.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Farideh Ghaffarian Javad (Author); Marjan Albehbahani
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