The effectiveness of emotion-focused ‎therapy on distress tolerance, fear of ‎positive experience, and ‎psychosomatic symptoms in ‎individuals experiencing grief due to ‎COVID-19‎

Bahraminia, Maryam; Khaleghipour, Shahnaz; Soltani, Fatemeh

doi:10.22034/27.1.23

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Volume 27, Issue 1 (3-2025)

EBNESINA 2025, 27(1): 23-35

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The effectiveness of emotion-focused ‎therapy on distress tolerance, fear of ‎positive experience, and ‎psychosomatic symptoms in ‎individuals experiencing grief due to ‎COVID-19‎

Maryam Bahraminia

, Shahnaz Khaleghipour ^*

, Fatemeh Soltani

Department of Clinical Psychology, Nae. C., Islamic Azad University, Naein, Iran , sh.khaleghipour@iau.ac.ir

Abstract: (279 Views)

Background and aims: Deaths caused by the coronavirus have complicated ‎the grieving process, often leading to unexpressed or complicated ‎grief with severe and long-lasting consequences. This study aimed to ‎investigate the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy on distress ‎tolerance, fear of positive experience, and psychosomatic symptoms ‎in individuals suffering bereavement related to COVID-19.‎
Methods: This semi-experimental study employed a pre-test/post-test ‎design with control group. The sample consisted of 20 individuals ‎experiencing grief due to COVID-19, selected through convenience ‎sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to either the emotion-‎focused therapy group (n = 10) or the control group (n = 10). ‎Measures included Simmons and Gaher’s Distress Tolerance ‎Questionnaire, a researcher-designed Fear of Positive Experience ‎Questionnaire, and Lacourt’s Psychosomatic Symptoms ‎Questionnaire. Following the pre-test, the experimental group ‎underwent 10 sessions of emotion-focused therapy.‎
Results: Findings indicated that emotion-focused therapy had a ‎significant positive effect on distress tolerance, fear of positive ‎experience, and psychosomatic symptoms (p<0.05).‎
Conclusion: The results suggest that emotion-focused therapy can ‎effectively enhance psychological well-being in individuals grieving ‎losses caused by COVID-19. Such interventions may be beneficial in ‎addressing the emotional and psychosomatic challenges associated ‎with bereavement.‎

Keywords: cognitive therapy, emotion regulation, psychosomatic disorders, ‎grief, COVID-19‎

Full-Text [PDF 1698 kb] (81 Downloads) | | Extended Abstract (HTML) (97 Views)

Type of Study: Original | Subject: Military Psychiatry
Received: 2024/11/22 | Revised: 2025/03/14 | Accepted: 2025/04/1 | Published: 2025/04/5

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Bahraminia M, Khaleghipour S, Soltani F. The effectiveness of emotion-focused ‎therapy on distress tolerance, fear of ‎positive experience, and ‎psychosomatic symptoms in ‎individuals experiencing grief due to ‎COVID-19‎. EBNESINA 2025; 27 (1) :23-35
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