The effect of solution-focused group counselling on rumination and life satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of solution-focused brief group counseling-emphasizing individuals' strengths and future-oriented goals-on reducing rumination and enhancing life satisfaction in mothers of children with special needs. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and 6-month follow-up measurements was employed, including experimental and control groups. Firstly, the Self-Rumination Scale was applied to 110 mothers of children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, aged between 30 and 45. Twenty-eight mothers scoring above 27.58 were identified, and 18 eligible participants without major psychiatric disorders who could regularly attend sessions were randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 9) or control group (n = 9). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.The intervention was implemented in six sessions, drawing on the brief and focused structure emphasized by De Shazer and Berg in solution-focused brief therapy. The sessions utilized a comprehensive approach using key techniques, including the miracle question to highlight participants' strengths and goals, scaling questions to monitor progress, and identifying exceptions to identify functional behavioral patterns. No intervention was applied to the control group. Two-Factor Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with Repeated Measures was used to examine group × measurement interaction effects for self-rumination and life satisfaction scores across time. While no immediate significant reduction in self-rumination was observed at post-test, a significant decrease emerged at the 6-month follow-up, showing a significant group × time interaction (F(2, 32) = 5.65, p < .05, η² = 0.261). For life satisfaction, the experimental group demonstrated a significant increase compared to the control group, which was sustained at follow-up (F(2, 32) = 6.924; p < .05, η² = 0.302). Both SRS and LSS scores exhibited large effect sizes according to Cohen's conventions, and the 95% confidence intervals indicated clear and pronounced group differences. The sphericity assumption required for repeated measures ANOVA was examined using Mauchly's test, and Greenhouse-Geisser corrections were applied for the LSS to adjust degrees of freedom where necessary. These findings indicate that solution-focused brief group counseling may have delayed but lasting benefits for reducing rumination, while its effectiveness for enhancing life satisfaction is evident at the post-test and follow-up assessments.