Ethics code: IR.IAU.BOJNOURD.REC.1404.009
Abstract: (399 Views)
Background and Objective: Maltreated adolescents face heightened vulnerability due to adverse living conditions, deprivation of familial support, and exposure to psychosocial traumas that negatively impact their mental health and overall functioning. This population encounters significant challenges including compromised social health, diminished resilience, emotional dysregulation, and interpersonal difficulties. Social health, defined as an individual's capacity to establish effective interactions with society, create satisfying relationships, and fulfill social roles, represents one of the most crucial indicators of mental health. Similarly, resilience, characterized as positive and successful adaptation in response to adversity, stress, and trauma, plays a pivotal role in psychological well-being and quality of life. Evidence-based treatments such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy represent innovative and effective approaches for improving psychosocial functioning in traumatized adolescents. ACT, emphasizing acceptance of internal experiences, enhancement of psychological flexibility, and commitment to value-based actions, contributes to improved adaptation and social functioning. Conversely, Schema Therapy, focusing on identifying and modifying early maladaptive schemas formed during childhood, provides a foundation for improving interpersonal relationships and mental health. Given the resource limitations in supportive systems and the necessity of identifying the most effective therapeutic interventions, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy versus Group Schema Therapy on social health and resilience among maltreated adolescent girls.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population comprised all maltreated girls aged 12-18 years under the supervision of Mashhad Welfare Organization's residential centers. Forty-five participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of 15 members each (two experimental groups and one control group). Inclusion criteria encompassed: maltreated adolescents under welfare supervision, age range 12-18 years, informed consent for participation, and minimum 6-month residence in care facilities. Exclusion criteria included: acute psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, absence from more than two sessions, and unwillingness to cooperate. Data collection instruments included the Keyes Social Well-being Questionnaire (2004) with 20 items and reliability coefficient of 0.78, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (2003) with 25 items and reliability coefficient of 0.85. Therapeutic interventions consisted of 8 sessions of 90-minute ACT for the first experimental group and Schema Therapy for the second experimental group, implemented based on standardized protocols with confirmed content validity by experts.
Results: Analysis of covariance revealed that both therapeutic interventions significantly enhanced social health and resilience among maltreated girls. For social health, post-test mean scores increased from 48.20 to 53.80 in the ACT group, from 47.53 to 51.86 in the Schema Therapy group, and from 46.06 to 46.80 in the control group. Regarding resilience, mean scores changed from 37.80 to 42.40 in the ACT group, from 39.40 to 45.66 in the Schema Therapy group, and from 36.53 to 37.06 in the control group. Bonferroni post-hoc analysis indicated no significant difference between the two therapeutic approaches in improving social health and resilience (P<0.05), while both experimental groups demonstrated significant improvement compared to the control group (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that both ACT and Schema Therapy group interventions, with comparable therapeutic efficacy, effectively enhance social health and resilience in maltreated adolescents. These results underscore the importance of implementing structured psychotherapeutic interventions within residential care settings for maltreated children and can inform therapeutic policy-making, development of specialized protocols, and optimization of psychological services for this vulnerable population.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population comprised all maltreated girls aged 12-18 years under the supervision of Mashhad Welfare Organization's residential centers. Forty-five participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of 15 members each (two experimental groups and one control group). Inclusion criteria encompassed: maltreated adolescents under welfare supervision, age range 12-18 years, informed consent for participation, and minimum 6-month residence in care facilities. Exclusion criteria included: acute psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, absence from more than two sessions, and unwillingness to cooperate. Data collection instruments included the Keyes Social Well-being Questionnaire (2004) with 20 items and reliability coefficient of 0.78, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (2003) with 25 items and reliability coefficient of 0.85. Therapeutic interventions consisted of 8 sessions of 90-minute ACT for the first experimental group and Schema Therapy for the second experimental group, implemented based on standardized protocols with confirmed content validity by experts.
Results: Analysis of covariance revealed that both therapeutic interventions significantly enhanced social health and resilience among maltreated girls. For social health, post-test mean scores increased from 48.20 to 53.80 in the ACT group, from 47.53 to 51.86 in the Schema Therapy group, and from 46.06 to 46.80 in the control group. Regarding resilience, mean scores changed from 37.80 to 42.40 in the ACT group, from 39.40 to 45.66 in the Schema Therapy group, and from 36.53 to 37.06 in the control group. Bonferroni post-hoc analysis indicated no significant difference between the two therapeutic approaches in improving social health and resilience (P<0.05), while both experimental groups demonstrated significant improvement compared to the control group (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that both ACT and Schema Therapy group interventions, with comparable therapeutic efficacy, effectively enhance social health and resilience in maltreated adolescents. These results underscore the importance of implementing structured psychotherapeutic interventions within residential care settings for maltreated children and can inform therapeutic policy-making, development of specialized protocols, and optimization of psychological services for this vulnerable population.
Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy, Group Schema Therapy, Social Health, Resilience, maltreated Adolescent.
Type of Study: Original Research Article |
Subject:
Psychology
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