The Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy on the Experience of Violence and Assertiveness among Adolescent Orphan Girls

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 -

2 Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Tehran South Branch, Iran

10.22054/jpe.2026.91320.2914
Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) on the experience of violence and assertiveness among adolescent orphan girls. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all adolescent orphan girls residing at the Malaek Institute in Tehran in 2024 )(37 girls). A total of 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants in each group). The experimental group received Compassion-Focused Therapy, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. The instruments used in this study included the Violence Experience Questionnaire (Zarei, 2013) and the Assertiveness Questionnaire (Gambrill & Richey, 1975). The results indicated that Compassion-Focused Therapy had a significant effect on reducing the experience of violence and increasing assertiveness in the posttest stage (p<.01). Also 86% of the changes in the variable of experience of violence and 64% of the changes in the variable of self-assertion were due to the effect of CFT. These findings suggest that enhancing self-compassion and developing a positive self-attitude can play an important role in improving psychological well-being and social skills among this vulnerable population. Therefore, Compassion-Focused Therapy can be considered an effective approach for empowerment and psychosocial support programs targeting adolescent orphan girls.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 September 2026