Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy on Social Anxiety and Rumination Among Female Heads of Households

Abstract

Background: Given that a significant group of female heads of households face poverty, disability, and powerlessness, particularly in managing household economic affairs, their self-esteem and mental health are affected, which has paved the way for depression, anxiety, and other disorders. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) on social anxiety and rumination among female heads of households. Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and a control group. The study population consisted of all female heads of households visiting the welfare centers in Aligudarz (Iran) in 2022. A sample of 40 individuals (20 women per group) was selected based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group received 8 sessions of 90 minutes (one session per week) of CFT. After completing the sessions, a posttest was administered to both the intervention and control groups under similar conditions. The research instruments included the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and Rumination Response Scale (RRS). Data analysis was performed using covariance analysis with SPSS version 27. Results: The mean ( ± SD) of the posttest scores of social anxiety and rumination in the intervention group was 29.95 (± 4.26) and 39.70 (± 4.29) which was significantly different from the control groups (57.75 (± 5.59) and 57.90 (± 4.71)) (P < 0.001). The results indicated that CFT effectively reduced social anxiety and rumination among female heads of households (P < 0.001). Conclusions: CFT was a suitable method for addressing social anxiety and rumination among female heads of households. These findings highlight the significance of implementing compassion-focused interventions among female heads of households and provide implications for clinical interventions.