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:: Volume 12, Issue 2 (Vol12 No2 Summer 2025- 2025) ::
J Child Ment Health 2025, 12(2): 18-32 Back to browse issues page
Developing an attachment-based family therapy program based on Iranian culture and investigating its effectiveness in reducing adolescent depression
Alireza Nezamdoost Malfejani1 , Faramarz Sohrabi *2 , Abdollah Motamedi3 , Ali Delavar4 , Hossein Eskandari3
1- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
2- Departent of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
3- Departent of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, AllamehTabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
4- Departent of Measurement, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract:   (582 Views)
Background and Purpose: The underlying hypothesis of attachment-based therapy is that family member interactions can have a restorative function in situations of attachment trauma; therefore, the aim of the present study is to develop an attachment-based family therapy program appropriate to Iranian culture and determine its effectiveness in reducing adolescent depression.
Methods: This study employed a mixed-method approach (qualitative: Delphi method; quantitative: quasi-experimental). In the qualitative phase, to develop the program and confirm its components, the opinions of ten experts in psychology and counseling from Allameh Tabataba’i University, the University of Guilan, and Counseling centers in Rasht were gathered and analyzed using thematic analysis. To validate the components of the program, the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) were employed. In the quantitative phase, the developed program was implemented with 48 adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder, who were selected through a screening process from counseling centers in Rasht. These participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group (24 individuals in each). The intervention program was administered to the experimental group in twelve 90-minute sessions, while the control group did not receive any intervention the research stages, but they were assured that at the end of the study, they would receive a summary of the intervention program. To measure the level of depression in adolescents, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) (Lovibond, S.H.; Lovibond, P.F. (1995) was used. For data analysis, the qualitative phase used the CVI and (CVR), while in the quantitative phase, univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was employed.
Findings: Based on the content of the attachment-based family therapy program and the insights and experiences of the experts during the initial meeting, the main themes and structural components of the culturally adapted program were confirmed. Through the Delphi process and the calculation of the Content Validity Ratio and Index, a total of 15 components and 98 indicators were identified for the attachment-based family therapy program. Additionally, the results indicated that the intervention had a significant effect in reducing depression among participants in the experimental group (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the developed intervention program, with its emphasis on attachment theory and the improvement of relationships between adolescents and their parents, contributed to a reduction in depressive symptoms among adolescents.
Article number: 2
Keywords: Attachment-based family therapy, attachment, Iranian culture, adolescent depression
Full-Text [PDF 1686 kb]   (189 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Applicable | Subject: Special
Received: 2021/12/6 | Accepted: 2025/07/14 | Published: 2025/07/26
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Nezamdoost Malfejani A, Sohrabi F, Motamedi A, Delavar A, Eskandari H. Developing an attachment-based family therapy program based on Iranian culture and investigating its effectiveness in reducing adolescent depression. J Child Ment Health 2025; 12 (2) : 2
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Volume 12, Issue 2 (Vol12 No2 Summer 2025- 2025) Back to browse issues page
فصلنامه سلامت روان کودک Quarterly Journal of Child Mental Health
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