The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation in Divorced Women

Seyedeh Fatemeh  Dinparast; Seyed Sadra Nojabaei

Authors

Seyedeh Fatemeh Dinparast Master’s Student, Department of Clinical Psychology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6750-7984
Seyed Sadra Nojabaei Department of Clinical Psychology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3182-1878

Keywords:

cognitive behavioral therapy, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, divorced women

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on self-efficacy and emotion regulation among divorced women receiving services from the Welfare Organization in Rasht, Iran. In terms of purpose, this was an applied study, and methodologically, it employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all divorced women receiving services from the Welfare Organization in Rasht. From this population, 30 participants were selected using simple random sampling and were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The data collection instruments included the General Self-Efficacy Scale developed by Sherer et al. (1982) and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire developed by Garnefski et al. (2001). Initially, both groups completed the research instruments as a pretest. Subsequently, the experimental group received an eight-session cognitive behavioral therapy intervention based on Beck’s protocol, whereas the control group was placed on a waiting list. At the end of the intervention period, both groups completed the research instruments again as a posttest. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 22. The findings indicated that cognitive behavioral therapy had a significant effect on increasing self-efficacy and improving emotion regulation among divorced women in Rasht. The results demonstrated that cognitive behavioral therapy contributed to enhancing the psychological adjustment of divorced women by modifying dysfunctional cognitive patterns, strengthening self-efficacy beliefs, and improving emotion regulation strategies. Accordingly, cognitive behavioral therapy is recommended as an effective intervention for divorced women in counseling and psychotherapy centers.

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