Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy on Attachment Styles, Anger Management, and Social Anxiety Among Female Secondary School Students

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on attachment styles, anger management, and social anxiety in female students at the lower secondary school level. Methods and Materials: The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of all female lower secondary school students in Shiraz during the 2024–2025 academic year. From this population, 46 students were selected using multistage cluster random sampling, considering inclusion criteria, and were randomly assigned to two equal groups (23 participants each). Data were collected using the Attachment Style Questionnaire (Hazan & Shaver, 1987), the Adolescent State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (Burner & Spielberger, 2009), and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (La Greca & Lopez, 1998). The intervention group received Emotion-Focused Therapy over nine sessions (one 90-minute session per week), while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, parametric tests, and repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS v26. Findings: The results showed that the mean scores of anger management, social anxiety, and their respective dimensions significantly improved in the experimental group compared to the control group following the intervention (p < .05). Additionally, findings indicated that Emotion-Focused Therapy effectively enhanced secure attachment and reduced avoidant and anxious attachment styles in the experimental group, with no such changes observed in the control group (p < .05). These therapeutic effects persisted throughout the two-month follow-up period (p < .05). Conclusion: Based on these findings, psychologists and counselors are encouraged to utilize Emotion-Focused Therapy techniques to promote the psychological and behavioral empowerment of students.