Effectiveness of Existential Group Therapy on Event Impact and Self-Monitoring in Parents Experiencing Anticipatory Disabling Grief Related to Their Child
Keywords:
Existential group therapy, event impact, self-monitoring, parents with debilitating anticipatory griefAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of existential group therapy on the impact of the event and self-monitoring in parents experiencing anticipatory disabling grief related to their child.
Methods: This research employed a quasi-experimental method with a pretest-posttest two-group design. The statistical population consisted of all parents experiencing anticipatory disabling grief related to their child in Tehran, who sought psychological treatment at the "Lost Piece" Counseling and Psychotherapy Center in 2024. A total of 20 individuals were selected using a non-random purposive sampling method and then randomly assigned to two groups: 10 participants in the experimental group and 10 in the control group. The experimental group participated in ten 90-minute sessions of existential group therapy. Ultimately, following attrition, 8 participants successfully completed the treatment. The control group did not receive any intervention. It should be noted that in order to maintain equivalence between the experimental and control groups, a number of participants equal to the attrition in the experimental group were randomly removed from the control group as well. This study utilized the Revised Impact of Event Scale (IES-R), the Self-Monitoring Questionnaire, and the Anticipatory Grief Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The
Findings: results indicated a significant difference between the posttest mean scores of the experimental and control groups. Existential group therapy significantly improved both the impact of the event and self-monitoring among parents experiencing anticipatory disabling grief related to their child.
Conclusion: These findings highlight its therapeutic value in addressing anticipatory disabling grief through meaning-making and emotional integration.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Efat Ataie (Author); Mehryar Anasseri (Corresponding Author)
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