The effectiveness of the educational program based on motivational interviewing and mentalization approaches on the experiential avoidance of students with childhood trauma

Background and Purpose: Experiencing any traumatic event in childhood can affect people's wellbeing.This research was conducted with the aim of the efficacy of the training program based on motivational interviewing and mentalization approaches on the experiential avoidance of students with childhood trauma.Method: This was a quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and two-month follow-up design with an experimental group and a control group.The statistical population of this research included all students with childhood trauma from 12 to 15 years who were referred to education counseling centers in Rasht city in 2022-2023.The target sample consisted of thirty students selected from the statistical population based on inclusion, exclusion, and voluntary criteria and convenience sampling.The students were randomly placed in the experimental and control groups (15 students in each group).The training program based on motivational interviewing and mentalization approaches was performed in group form for eleven sessions of 90 minutes in the experimental group, and the control group did not receive any intervention during the study process.Research tools included the latest validated version of The Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ) (2011) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF; Bernstein & Fink, 1998).The data was analyzed using the Mixed variance analysis and SPSS-26 software.Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean reduction in experiential avoidance (F=3.115,P=0.04) and behavioral avoidance components (F=6.670,P=0.01), distress aversion (F=3.464,P=0.04), and distraction-suppression (F=5.975,P=0.02) in the post-test phase of the experimental and control groups, and these results (reduction in experiential avoidance) continued in the experimental group and the follow-up phase (P<0.05).Conclusions: Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that training based on motivational interviewing and mentalization has helped prevent the downward spiral of negative mood and thinking and the tendency to anxious and avoidant responses of students with childhood trauma by creating the necessary cognitive strategies to face stress.