The Efficacy of Emotion-Focused Therapy on Distress Tolerance and Resilience in Female Students with Aggression Symptoms

Abstract

Background: Given the widespread occurrence of aggression among female students and its associated detrimental effects, investigating effective intervention strategies is crucial. This study examined the impact of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on distress tolerance and resilience in female students exhibiting aggressive tendencies.Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and a one-month follow-up design. The population consisted of female students with aggression symptoms who referred to educational counseling centers in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2023. Fifty female students exhibiting aggressive symptoms were recruited via convenience sampling and subsequently randomized into either an experimental group or a control group (n=25 per group). The study participants in the experimental group underwent eight weekly 90-minute sessions of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT). The Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were employed for data collection. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using SPSS version 25 to analyze the data.Results: Our results showed that EFT significantly increased distress tolerance and resilience in female students with aggression symptoms. At pre-test, both groups had similar mean scores on the distress tolerance (34.16±4.03 for EFT, 33.80±4.15 for control) and the resilience (38.00±6.70 for EFT, 38.04±6.70 for control). After the EFT intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in distress tolerance (M=62.40, SD=2.00) and resilience (M=72.80, SD=2.06) as compared with the control group (M=32.32, SD=4.33; M=37.76, SD=6.86, respectively) (P<0.001). The observed effects persisted at the onemonth follow-up assessment (P<0.001).Conclusions: The study demonstrated that EFT is a highly effective intervention for helping female students with aggression issues. It improves their ability to manage distressing emotions and build resilience. Schools and mental health professionals should consider using EFT as part of their programs to address aggression and promote positive mental health in female students.