The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Metacognitive Beliefs and Social Competence of Sexually Abused Girls

Abstract

Objective: Many traumatic events, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, occur for girls. Evidence shows that such experiences can lead to a range of psychological effects. Adolescent girls' confrontation with these traumas has negative consequences on their mental health. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on the metacognitive beliefs and social competence of sexually abused girls aged 9 to 13 years.

Methods and Materials: This research employed a quasi-experimental method with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. From 43 sexually abused girls aged 9 to 13 who referred to Peyvand Counseling Services and Razi Psychological Services affiliated with the Alborz Province Department of Education, a sample of 30 was selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into two groups of 15 (one group received cognitive-behavioral therapy and the control group received no intervention). The instruments used in this study were the Cognitive Beliefs Questionnaire (Baco et al., 1990) and the Social Competence Questionnaire (Felner et al., 2009). Data were analysed by SPSS-27 and analysis of covariance method.

Findings: The results of covariance analysis showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy led to an increase in positive metacognitive beliefs and a decrease in negative metacognitive beliefs (p ≤ 0.005). Additionally, the results indicated that the cognitive-behavioral approach was effective in increasing the social competence of sexually abused girls (p ≤ 0.005).

Conclusion: Based on the research findings, it is suggested to use cognitive-behavioral therapy to improve the metacognitive beliefs and social competence of sexually abused girls.