Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Considering the special and unique features of adolescence, it can be acknowledged that this period is one of the important age periods that can play a role in the growth and evolution of outstanding psychological characteristics for teenagers. So, paying attention to the psychological health of adolescents, especially girls, can be one of the main goals of mental health professionals. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of psychodrama training on the quality of parent–child relationships and psychological capital of senior high school girls.
Methods: This study was quasi–experimental and was conducted with a pretest–posttest design with two control and experimental groups. The statistical population of this research included all the second–grade high school girls of Golbahar City, Iran, in the 2022–2023 academic year. Among the statistical population, 30 qualified volunteers were entered into the study and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (each group includes 15 students). The inclusion criteria were as follows: being in the age range of 12 to 18 years, living with their parents, not failing academically for two years in a row, having a GPA above 12, being able to communicate with other members of the group, being interested in participation in research and the ability to coordinate the class schedule with the meeting schedule. The exclusion criteria were absenteeism more than out of three sessions and non–observance of group therapy rules. This research observed ethical standards including obtaining informed consent and guaranteeing privacy and confidentiality. Also, the participants were free to withdraw from the research at anytime. They were assured that the information would remain confidential and that it would be fully respected. Both groups completed the Parent–Child Relationship Scale (Fine et al., 1983) and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Luthans et al., 2007). The psychodrama training program was implemented for the experimental group in nine 90–minute sessions once a week, but the control group did not receive any treatment plan. Data analysis was carried out in two parts: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. At the level of descriptive statistics, frequency, mean, and standard deviation, and the level of inferential statistics, analysis of covariance was used. Data analysis was done in SPSS software version 27, and the significance level of the tests was considered to be 0.05.
Results: The results showed a significant difference in the variables of the parent–child relationship (positive emotions, hate and loss of role, identity, and communication) (p<0.001) and psychological capitals (self–efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism) (p<0.001) between the experimental and control groups in the posttest, after removing the effect of the pretest. Also, psychodrama training could increase positive emotions by 91%, identity by 90%, communication by 90%, and hate and loss of role by 46%. Also, psychodrama training increased self–efficacy by 94%, hope by 90%, resilience by 81%, and optimism by 39%.
Conclusion: This research showed that psychodrama training for adolescent girls is suitable for improving the parent–child relationship and increasing their psychological capital. Researchers can use this method along with other methods.