Comparison of the Effectiveness of Positive Psychology and Emotion Regulation Training Interventions in Promoting the Psychological Well-Being in Nar-Anon Group

Abstract

Psychological well-being is one of the constructs studied in positive psychology that is considered as one of the main components of public health. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of positive psychology and emotion regulation training interventions in promoting the psychological well-being in Nar-Anon group (Anonymous addicts’ family group) of Omidiyeh County. The research method was experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all families of drug abusers who participated in sessions of anonymous addicts’ family group (Nar-Anon) in Omidiyeh County in 2018. Sixty participants were randomly selected from the volunteer population and were randomly assigned to two experimental and one control groups (n = 20 per group). The first experimental group received positive psychotherapy intervention, and the second experimental group received emotion regulation training intervention, but the third (control) group did not receive any training. Follow-up was performed 2 months later. The research instrument included Ryff’s scale of psychological well-being (SPWB). Data analysis was done using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and SPSS version 24.0. The results indicated that positive psychology (p = 0.0001) and emotion regulation training (p = 0.0001) interventions had a significant effect in promoting the psychological well-being. Results of the follow-up stage indicated that changes and the increase continued in participants’ psychological well-being. The difference between the positive psychology and emotion regulation training was not significant (p = 0.09). In other words, both training methods had equal effects on psychological well-being. Given the effectiveness of the interventions, they can be used to promote the psychological well-being of addicts and their families.