Document Type : Research Article
Authors
- Abolfazl Sarlaki 1
- Mona Farokhzad 2
- Fatemeh Khanzadeh 3
- Mahsa Younesi sinaki 4
- Seyedeh Zahra Razavi Mahdiian 5
- Mojtaba Tayyar Parvin 6
1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Garmsar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
3 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, West Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
4 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran.
5 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Kharzmi University, Tehran, Iran.
6 Department of Clinical Psychology, School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health (Tehran Institute of Psychiatry), Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction
Major depressive disorder is a common mental illness in women that can lead to negative consequences on psychological, family, social, and economic levels. According to the psychodynamic theory, this disorder is caused by a perceived real loss in relationships, resulting in anger and guilt towards the other person. These negative emotions are often directed toward oneself, leading to depressive symptoms. Short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy aims to help patients bring their unconscious emotions to the conscious level, known as "Unlocking the Unconscious". The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy on objective relationships, anger, and guilt in women with major depressive disorder.
Methods
In terms of the purpose, the present study was in the applied research group, and in terms of methodology, it was a semi-experimental type of pre-test - post-test - 3-month follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all women with major depressive disorder who were referred to counseling centers and psychological services in Isfahan in the spring of 1402. 32 women with major depressive disorder were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental group (16 people) and the control group (16 people). Dovanloo's (1995) intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy protocol was performed only for the experimental group during 8 sessions of 90 minutes weekly, and the control group was placed on the waiting list. Subjects were evaluated in 3 stages (pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up) with Bell's Object Relation Inventory(BORI), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory 2 (STAXI-2), kugler and Jones Guilty Feelings ‘S Questionnaire(KJGFQ), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) . Data analysis was done with repeated measures analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test using SPSS-28 software.
Results
The results of this research showed that the short-term psychodynamic intervention was effective on alienation, insecure attachment, the total score of subjective relationships, internal occurrence of anger, internal control of anger, trait guilt, the total score of guilt and depression symptoms, and up to 3 months after The intervention was stable(p>0/05). Short-term intensive psychodynamics had the greatest effect on depression symptoms (ηp2=0.543), anger internalization (ηp2=0.436), and anger internal control (ηp2=0.412).
Conclusion
Dynamic psychotherapy is an approach that is effective in reducing unpleasant emotions by creating a safe space and relationships based on empathy and trust encouraging a person to touch his original feelings and consequently improving the Object Relations of patients with depression. In short-term dynamic psychotherapy, the therapist helps the patient, so that he can face the feeling of anger towards his favorite object and be able to feel and understand it again and find out that he is also damaged through applying pressure To feel guilt can lead to a reduction of guilt in the patient and improvement of depression symptoms.
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