Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Ph.D. student, Department of General Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
2
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of treatment based on mentalization on psychological distress and alexitimia in adolescent girls with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The current study was a semi-experimental application with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population of the research was made up of adolescent girls suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder who referred to counseling centers in East Tehran in the summer of 2023 In this research, 36 adolescent girl with obsessive-compulsive disorder were selected by purposeful sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (18 adolescent in the experimental group and 18 adolescent in the control group). The adolescent girls in the experimental group received the treatment based on mentalization during eight weeks in eight 90-minute sessions. Madzley Obsessive Compulsive Questionnaire, Psychological Distress Questionnaire and Alexitimia Questionnaire were used in the present study. The results showed that treatment based on mentalization has significant effect on the psychological distress (p<0001, Eta=0.62, F=57.23) and alexitimia (p<0001, Eta= 0.52, F=37.31) in the adolescent girls with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Based on the findings of the research, it can be concluded that the treatment based on mentalization by applying mentalization exercises through strengthening intimacy, trust, empathy and understanding in the group and family, practicing understanding the thoughts and feelings of oneself and others, recognizing and dealing with the symptoms of anxiety and depression. It can be used as an efficient method to reduce the psychological distress and alexitimia of adolescent girls with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
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