Effect of positive therapy on self-harm thoughts and psychological well-being in students’ dissolution of romantic relationships

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD Student in Educational Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a part of human life during which people face a set of transformational obstacles and challenges.
 
Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of positive therapy on self-harm thoughts and psychological well-being in students with dissolved romantic relationships.
 
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted based on a pretest-posttest control group design and follow-up. The statistical population (n=587) consisted of patients referring to the counseling centers in Sari city, Iran, among which 30 students with dissolved romantic relationships were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Participants completed the Self-Harm Inventory and the Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale in three stages, namely pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The experimental group received 8 sessions of positive psychotherapy, whereas the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed in SPSS.22 software using the repeated measures analysis method.
 
Results: In the experimental group, the mean of self-harm thoughts decreased from 18.53±1.95 in the pre-test to 8.00±1.64 in the post-test. Moreover, in the experimental group, the mean of psychological well-being increased from 43.60±12.45 in the pre-test to 97.13±8.14 in the post-test. However, in the control group, the means of psychological well-being were obtained at 40.80±11.26 in the pre-test and 40.80±11.30 in the post-test, which was not different.
 
Conclusion: The results of the study showed that positive psychotherapy reduced self-harm and suicidal thoughts and increased psychological well-being in students with dissolved romantic relationships.

Keywords

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Razavi International Journal of Medicine
Volume 10, Issue 2
April 2022
Pages 102-108

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