Comparing the effectiveness of short-term psychodynamic and compassion therapy on self-destructive behaviors and negative self-evaluation thinking in high school students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran

2  Master's degree graduate in clinical psychology. Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran

10.22055/jacp.2025.50332.1511
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of short-term psychodynamic therapy and compassion-focused therapy on Self-destructive behaviors and negative self-evaluation thoughts in high school students. The present research was applied in terms of purpose and semi-experimental in terms of method, with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all eleventh-grade female students in public high schools in the city of Kaboodrahang. The research sample consisted of 45 people (15 in the short-term psychodynamic group, 15 in the compassion-focused therapy group, and 15 in the control group) who were selected by a stepwise cluster sampling method. The research tools included the Self-Harm Behavior Scale questionnaire (Cunningham, 2007) and the Negative Self-Assessment questionnaire (Larry, 1983). One of the experimental groups underwent intensive short-term psychodynamic intervention, which was conducted in 8 sessions of 50 minutes each, and the other experimental group received 8 weekly group sessions of 120 minutes of compassion-focused therapy. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24. After confirming the assumptions of covariance analysis, univariate covariance analysis was used to examine the research hypotheses. The results of the covariance analysis showed that short-term intensive psychodynamic intervention and compassion training led to a reduction in Self-destructive behaviors and negative self-evaluation thoughts in students (P > 0.05). In the comparison between the intervention groups (short-term psychodynamic and compassion-focused therapy), no significant difference was observed regarding the effectiveness on Self-destructive behaviors and negative self-evaluation thoughts (P < 0.05). Intensive short-term psychodynamic intervention and compassion-focused training can reduce Self-destructive behaviors and negative self-evaluation thoughts in students.

Keywords


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