The Effectiveness of a Psychological–Educational Psychological Empowerment Intervention Package on Intimacy among University Students Who Are Children of Divorce

Maryam  Behbahani; Shohreh Ghorban Shiroudi; Javad  Khalatbari

Authors

Maryam Behbahani Department of Family and Counseling, NT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9931-9887
Shohreh Ghorban Shiroudi Department of Family and Counseling, NT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8196-9379
Javad Khalatbari Department of Psychology, To.C., Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9519-9686

Keywords:

Psychological empowerment, psychological–educational intervention, intimacy, children of divorce, university students.

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a psychological–educational psychological empowerment intervention package in improving intimacy among university students who were children of divorce.

Methods and Materials: This applied quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of children of divorce studying at the School of Dentistry of Islamic Azad University, Tehran, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Following the initial screening of 87 students, 30 eligible participants with relatively low intimacy scores were selected and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental group received a 10-session psychological–educational psychological empowerment intervention addressing emotional regulation, cognitive restructuring, resilience, assertive communication, problem solving, healthy interpersonal boundaries, social support, and future planning, whereas the control group received no intervention. Intimacy was measured using the 17-item Walker and Thompson Intimacy Scale at pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Data were analyzed using mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons.

Findings: The mixed repeated-measures analysis showed a significant main effect of time on intimacy, F(2, 56) = 8.55, p = .002, partial η² = .23, and a significant main effect of group, F(1, 28) = 5.90, p = .029, partial η² = .28. The time-by-group interaction was also statistically significant, F(2, 56) = 14.15, p < .001, partial η² = .33, indicating that the pattern of change differed between the experimental and control groups. Bonferroni comparisons in the experimental group showed significant differences between pretest and posttest and between pretest and follow-up, whereas the posttest-to-follow-up difference was not significant.

Conclusion: The psychological–educational psychological empowerment intervention produced a more favorable and stable pattern of intimacy scores in the experimental group than in the control group, supporting its potential use as a structured intervention for university students affected by parental divorce.

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References

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