Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy with and without Emotion-Focused Family Therapy on Emotion Processing, Basic Psychological Needs, Anxiety Symptoms, and Depression in Adolescents

Introduction: Considering the severe psychological changes in adolescence and its effects on mental health, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) with and without emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT) on emotion processing, basic psychological needs, anxiety, and depression in adolescents. Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test and post-test design with a two-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of females aged 12 to 18 experiencing depression and anxiety. A total of 26 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 13. One group received 16 sessions of EFT, while the other group received 16 sessions of EFT combined with EFFT. Data were collected using the Buckler Emotional Processing Scales (EPS-25), the Deci and Ryan Basic Psychological Needs Scale (BNSG-S), and the Depression and Anxiety Syndrome Questionnaire (DASS-21) at pre-test, after the eighth session, at the end of the intervention, and two months post-intervention. The obtained data were then analyzed using SPSS software (version 26) through multivariate mixed variance analysis and Bonferroni post hoc tests. Results: The results indicated significant differences in anxiety, depression, basic psychological needs, and emotional processing scores over time for both intervention methods (P<0.0001). Additionally, there was a significant difference between the two interventions regarding their effectiveness. Conclusion: Despite the effectiveness of both interventions, the group receiving EFFT had a greater decrease in anxiety, depression, and emotional processing scores and a greater increase in basic psychological need scores.