Development and Evaluation of a Family-Centered Psychological Intervention Program on Self-Worth in Women with Substance Use Disorder

Authors

    Mahya Matini Motahhar Ph.D. Student, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Kish International Campus, Tehran University, Kish, Iran.
    Gholam Ali Afrooz * Professor, Department of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Tehran, Iran. afrooz@ut.ac.ir
    Somayeh Shahmoradi Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Keywords:

Family-centered intervention, self-worth, women’s addiction.

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally adapted family-centered psychological intervention program in improving self-worth and its components among women with substance use disorders.

Methods and Materials: This research employed a mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, a descriptive phenomenological approach was used, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 addiction specialists and therapists in Tehran, which were analyzed using Colaizzi’s thematic analysis method. The extracted themes informed the development of a 12-session family-centered psychological intervention program whose content validity was confirmed using CVR and CVI indices. In the quantitative phase, a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group was implemented. Thirty women with substance use disorders were selected from addiction treatment centers in Tehran and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). The Self-Worth Scale was administered before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analyses of covariance in SPSS.

Findings: Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed a significant overall effect of the intervention on posttest self-worth and its components (p < .001). Univariate ANCOVA indicated significant improvements in total self-worth, family support, competition and achievement, physical appearance, divine love, academic competence, virtue and moral integrity, and approval from others in the experimental group compared with the control group (all p < .01), with large effect sizes.

Conclusion: The family-centered psychological intervention was highly effective in enhancing self-worth and multiple dimensions of psychological functioning in women with substance use disorders, highlighting the central role of family processes in addiction recovery and psychosocial rehabilitation.

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Published

2025-12-20

Submitted

2025-09-27

Revised

2025-11-20

Accepted

2025-11-27

How to Cite

Matini Motahhar, M. ., Afrooz, G. A., & Shahmoradi, S. . (2025). Development and Evaluation of a Family-Centered Psychological Intervention Program on Self-Worth in Women with Substance Use Disorder. Applied Family Therapy Journal (AFTJ) , 6(6), 1-12. https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/aftj/article/view/4928