Comparison of the Effectiveness of Self-determination Skills Group Training and Islamic Quality of Life Group Training on Perceived Social Support and Psychological Well-being

Tavasli, Elham; Sharifi, Tayebeh; Ahmadi, Reza

doi:10.22055/psy.2023.43647.3024

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Self-determination Skills Group Training and Islamic Quality of Life Group Training on Perceived Social Support and Psychological Well-being

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Elham Tavasli ¹

Tayebeh Sharifi ²

Reza Ahmadi ³

¹ Ph.D Student Psychology, Department of Psychology, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

² Associate Professor of Psychology, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

10.22055/psy.2023.43647.3024

Abstract

In recent years, psychologists have emphasized the significance of spirituality in psychological treatment, arguing that neglecting this dimension can reduce therapeutic effectiveness. For individuals with a strong religious background, spirituality is often best achieved through their religious beliefs. Divine religions, particularly Islam, offer practical guidance for connecting with the infinite being. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of self-determination skills training and Islamic quality of life training on perceived social support and psychological well-being among primary caregivers of chronic mental patients in Borujen city. The research was applied in nature and utilized a semi-experimental design that included pre-tests, post-tests, follow-ups, and a control group.The statistical population consisted of 550 primary caregivers of chronic mental patients covered by welfare and rehabilitation centers in Borujen. From this population, 60 caregivers were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups—one receiving self-determination skills training and the other receiving Islamic quality of life training—along with a control group.The research instruments included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and the Psychological Well-Being Scales. Interventions were conducted over three months, consisting of 19 sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. One group received training on self-determination skills (Field & Hoffman, 2012), while the other underwent Islamic quality of life training (Seifi et al., 2015). After the intervention, all participants completed the questionnaires again (post-test), and the same procedure was repeated two months later for follow-up.Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS-22 software. The findings indicated that both self-determination skills training and Islamic quality of life training significantly improved perceived social support (η² = 0.66, P < 0.05), with Islamic quality of life training showing greater effectiveness. Similarly, both interventions significantly enhanced psychological well-being (η² = 0.12, P < 0.05), with Islamic quality of life training demonstrating higher effectiveness compared to self-determination skills training.

Keywords

Islamic quality of life

perceived social support

psychological well-being

self-determination skills

Basharat, M. A. (2007). Psychometric characteristics and factor structure of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Research report, University of Tehran, Tehran. https://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1581768198-10219-60-9.pdf [Persian]

Bayani, A. A., Mohammad Koochekya, A. & Bayani, A. (2008). Reliability and validity of Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scales. Iranian Journal of Psychiatry & Clinical Psychology, 14(2), 146-151. http://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/article-1-464-en.html [Persian]

Becker, J., Kovach, A. C., & Gronseth, D. L. (2004). Individual empowerment: How community health workers operationalize self‐determination, self‐sufficiency, and decision‐making abilities of low‐income mothers. Journal of Community Psychology, 32(3), 327–342. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20000

Behroozi, N. (2023). The investigation of the relationship between fear of Covid-19 and psychological well-being: The mediating role of psychological hardiness and social support. Psychological Achievements, 30(1), 37–58. https://doi.org/10.22055/psy.2022.40420.2824 [Persian]

Besharat, M. A. (2019). Multidimensional scale of perceived social support: Questionnaire, instruction and scoring. Developmental Psychology: Iranian Psychologists, 15(60), 449–447. https://bjcp.ir/browse.php?a_id=2083&sid=1&slc_lang=en [Persian]

Coleman, D., & Iso-Ahola, S. E. (1993). Leisure and health: The role of social support and self-determination. Journal of Leisure Research, 25(2), 111–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1993.11969913

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Motivation, personality, and development within embedded social contexts: An overview of self-determination theory. In R. M. Ryan (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of human motivation (pp. xx–xx). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195399820.013.0006

Deci, E. L., Olafsen, A. H., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory in work organizations: The state of a science. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 19–43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113108

Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54(1), 403–425. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145056

Field, S. L., & Hoffman, A. S. (2012). Fostering self-determination through building productive relationships in the classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 48(1), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451212443150

Forest, J., Gradito Dubord, M. A., Olafsen, A. H., & Carpentier, J. (2023). Shaping tomorrow's workplace by integrating self-determination theory: A literature review and recommendations. In R. Ryan & E. Deci (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of work engagement, motivation, and self-determination theory. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197600047.013.45

Gould, R., Heider, A., Harris, S. P., Jones, R., Peters, J., Eisenberg, Y., & Caldwell, K. (2022). Self-determination and quality indicators for assistive technology in postsecondary education. Journal of Postsecondary Education & Disability, 35(1), 45–80. https://www.ahead.org/publications/jped

Grumm, M., Nestler, S., & Von Collani, G. (2009). Changing explicit and implicit attitudes: The case of self-esteem. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 45(2), 327–335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2008.10.006

Halvari, A. E. M., Halvari, H., Williams, G. C., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Predicting dental attendance from dental hygienists' autonomy support and patients' autonomous motivation: A randomised clinical trial. Psychology & Health, 32(2), 127–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2016.1244536

Huang, Q., An, Y., & Li, X. (2022). Coping strategies as mediators in the relation between perceived social support and job burnout among Chinese firefighters. Journal of Health Psychology, 27(2), 363–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105320953475

Huguelet, P., & Koenig, H. G. (2009). Religion and spirituality in psychiatry. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511576843

Jafari, M. T. (1989). Tarjomeh and tafsir of nahj al-balaghe. Farhang Islamic Publishing House. (Persian) https://lib.eshia.ir/86110/1/0

Jiang, J., & Tanaka, A. (2022). Autonomy support from support staff in higher education and students' academic engagement and psychological well-being. Educational Psychology, 42(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2021.1982866

Kaviani, Z., Hamid, N., & Enayati, M. (2013). The effect of religion-based cognitive behavioral therapy on the reflection of couples. Knowledge and Research in Applied Psychology, 15(3), 25–34. https://psychologyj.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_4302_en.html?lang=en [Persian]

Levi-Belz, Y., Dichter, N., & Zerach, G. (2022). Moral injury and suicide ideation among Israeli combat veterans: The contribution of self-forgiveness and perceived social support. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(1–2), NP1031–NP1057. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520920865

Lohr, S. L. (1999). Sampling: Design and analysis. Duxbury Press.

Mehrabian, A., & Epstein, N. (1972). A measure of emotional empathy. Journal of Personality, 40, 525–543. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1972.tb00078.x

Mohammadi, M., Akbari, A. A., Hatami, N., Makri, A., Kaviani, H., Solymaniyan, M., & Sehat, S. (2012). Investigating the effect of spiritual psychotherapy in patients with opioid dependence disorder. Hakim Research Journal, 14(3), 144–150. (Persian) https://hakim.tums.ac.ir/article-1-889-fa.html

Mudrak, J., Zabrodska, K., Kveton, P., Jelinek, M., Blatny, M., Solcova, I., & Machovcova, K. (2018). Occupational well-being among university faculty: A job demands-resources model. Research in Higher Education, 59, 325–348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-017-9467-x

Ndikuno, C., Namutebi, M., Kuteesa, J., Mukunya, D., & Olwit, C. (2016). Quality of life of caregivers of patients diagnosed with severe mental illness at the national referral hospitals in Uganda. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1084-2

Neong, S. C., & Rashid, A. (2018). Quality of life of caregivers of patients with psychiatric illness in Penang. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and Cognitive Psychology, 2(1), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.35841/clinical-psychiatry.2.1.12-18

Post, D., van Agteren, J., Kasai, D., Barrett, A., Doyle, M., Kernot, J., ... & Parfitt, G. (2022). Caring for carers: Understanding the physical and psychological well‐being of carers of veterans in Australia. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(3), e793–e803. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13449

Rostami, R., Shahmohamadi, K., Ghaedi, G., Besharat, M. A., Akbari Zardkhaneh, S., & Nosratabadi, M. (2010). Relations among self-efficacy, emotional intelligence and perceived social support in university students. Internal Medicine Today, 16(3), 46–54. http://imtj.gmu.ac.ir/article-1-964-en.html

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1521/978.14625/28806

Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.4.719

Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 1069–1081. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069

Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2006). Best news yet on the six-factor model of well-being. Social Science Research, 35(4), 1103–1119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2006.01.002

Seifi, M., Janbozori, M., Alipour, A., & Aliakbari, M. (2015). The Islamic model of psychotherapy/education based on improving the quality of life. Psychology and Religion Quarterly, 9(1), 51–68. https://tbj.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_id=2120&slc_lang=fa&sid=1&printcase=1&hbnr=1&hmb=1 [Persian]

Stanley, S., & Balakrishnan, S. (2023). Family caregiving in schizophrenia: Do stress, social support and resilience influence life satisfaction?—A quantitative study from India. Social Work in Mental Health, 21(1), 67–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2022.2070051

Thompson, N. J., Coker, J., Krause, J. S., & Henry, E. (2003). Purpose in life as a mediator of adjustment after spinal cord injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 48(2), 100–108. https://doi.org/10.1037/0090-5550.48.2.100

To, S. M., Yang, L., & Yan, M. W. (2022). The presence of meaning in parenthood, perceived social support, and happiness of mothers living in Hong Kong: A comparative study on younger and older mothers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), 2730. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052730

Wehmeyer, M. L. (1992). Self-determination and the education of students with mental retardation. Education and Training in Mental Retardation, 27, 302–314. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1993-23647-001

Wehmeyer, M. L., Abery, B. H., Zhang, D., Ward, K., Willis, D., Hossain, W. A., ... & Walker, H. M. (2011). Personal self-determination and moderating variables that impact efforts to promote self-determination. Exceptionality, 19(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2011.537225

Xiang, C. C., Wang, X., Xie, T. T., & Fu, C. L. (2023). Differential effects of work and family support on the relationship between surface acting and wellbeing: A self-determination theory approach. Psychological Reports, 126(1), 198–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211048471

Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2