Comparison of the Effectiveness of Written Emotional Expression and Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy in Emotion Regulation of Infertile Women
Keywords:
infertile women, emotion regulation, emotional rational behavior therapy, written emotional expression strategiesAbstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of written emotional expression strategy and rational emotive behavioral therapy in improving emotion regulation among infertile women.
Methodology: This semi-experimental study employed a pre-test–post-test–follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included infertile women in Tehran in 2023 who were diagnosed with infertility by specialists. A total of 45 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into three groups: two experimental and one control group. The first experimental group underwent eight sessions of written emotional expression training (15–30 minutes each), while the second experimental group received 12 sessions of rational emotive behavioral therapy (60 minutes each). The control group remained on the waiting list. Data were collected using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire developed by Gross and John (2003). Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance with SPSS-24 software.
Findings: The results indicated that both written emotional expression and rational emotive behavioral therapy significantly improved emotion regulation components compared to the control group (p < .05). Bonferroni post hoc analysis showed significant differences between the experimental groups and the control group. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two experimental groups (p > .05). Follow-up results confirmed the stability of intervention effects over time.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that both written emotional expression and rational emotive behavioral therapy are effective in enhancing emotion regulation among infertile women. These interventions, by employing their specific techniques, can play a valuable role alongside medical infertility treatments to improve psychological well-being and quality of life in this population.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Sogol Gity, Farah Lotfi Kashani, Shahram Vaziri, Hooman Namvar (Author)
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