The Effectiveness of Group Training Based on Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on Anxiety Sensitivity, Aggression, and Depression in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome
Keywords:
Emotion-focused therapy, Premenstrual syndrome, Anxiety sensitivity, Aggression, DepressionAbstract
Objective: The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of group training based on Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on anxiety sensitivity, aggression, and depression in women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test–post-test control group design. The statistical population consisted of female students at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Thirty participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group attended six 90-minute EFT-based group therapy sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate covariance analyses in SPSS-23.
Findings: The multivariate ANCOVA results revealed a significant difference between the post-test mean scores of the experimental and control groups for all dependent variables (P<0.05). The overall effect size (η² = 0.54) indicated a strong impact of EFT group training on reducing anxiety sensitivity, aggression, and depression among women with PMS.
Conclusion: Emotion-Focused Therapy group training significantly reduced anxiety sensitivity, aggression, and depression in women with PMS. By enhancing emotional awareness, improving emotion regulation, and fostering secure relational patterns, EFT can serve as an effective therapeutic intervention for psychological symptoms associated with the premenstrual period.
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