The Effectiveness of Compassion Focused Therapy on Increasing Optimism and Self-compassion in Female Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor/Lorestan University

2 MS in Educational Psychology/ Lorestan University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of compassion focused therapy on increasing optimism and self-compassion in second grade female high school students with GAD. The present semi experimental study included pre-test, post-test with the control group design. The statistical population of this study consisted of all female second grade students of high schools in Izeh city in the academic year of 2015-2016. Screening was conducted and 302 participants were selected through random multi stage cluster sampling and completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaires, Then 40 individuals suffering GAD identified and were assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. The instruments used in this study were Scheier & Carver’s optimism questionnaire and Raes, Pommier, Neff & Van Gucht’s self-compassion questionnaire. The experimental group received compassion focused therapy for 1/5 months. Analysis of the data was done using descriptive (average & standard deviation) and inferential (multiple covariance analysis) tests. Experimental group showed significant increase in optimism and self-compassion after being trained. Based on the result we can say that compassion focused therapy is an important factor in improving optimism and in self-compassion of students suffer from GAD.

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References

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