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Comparing the Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Grief Symptoms and Parenting Stress among the Wives of Martyrs Defending the Shrine

Authors

    Zahra Sarvi Department of Psychology, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    Nooshin Pordelan * Department of Psychology, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Pordelan@srbiau.ac.ir
    Simin Hosseinian Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

Keywords:

Grief symptoms, parenting stress, emotion-focused therapy, mindfulness, based cognitive therapy, spouses of martyrs

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on grief symptoms and parenting stress in the wives of martyrs.

Methodology: This research utilized a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population included all spouses of martyrs residing in Tehran in 2024, listed by the Martyrs Foundation. From 100 eligible participants, 30 were purposively selected based on high grief and parenting stress scores and randomly assigned to three groups. The EFT group received twelve 120-minute sessions, and the MBCT group attended eight 150-minute sessions. Instruments included the Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist (Hogan et al., 2001) and the Berry & Jones Parenting Stress Questionnaire (1995). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 26.

Findings: Results indicated significant reductions in grief symptoms (F=50.28, η²=0.715, p<0.001) and parenting stress (F=5.92, η²=0.228, p<0.01) in both intervention groups compared to the control group. Bonferroni post hoc tests revealed no significant difference between EFT and MBCT (p>0.05), indicating comparable effectiveness in alleviating grief and parenting stress.

Conclusion: Both Emotion-Focused Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy effectively reduced grief symptoms and parenting stress, suggesting their utility as complementary therapeutic approaches for enhancing psychological adjustment among bereaved spouses of martyrs.

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Published

2026-04-09 — Updated on 2025-11-10

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2025-06-22

Revised

2025-10-12

Accepted

2025-10-19

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Copyright (c) 2025 زهرا سروی, نوشین پردلان , سیمین حسینیان (Author)

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Sarvi, Z., Pordelan, N., & Hosseinian, S. . (2025). Comparing the Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Grief Symptoms and Parenting Stress among the Wives of Martyrs Defending the Shrine. Journal of Psychological Dynamics in Mood Disorders, 1-18. https://maherpub.com/pdmd/article/view/622 (Original work published 1405)