KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Psychology of Woman Journal 3041-8615 6 Serial Number 23 2025 07 01 Effectiveness of Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy on Rumination and Self-doubt Depressed Women Victims of Partner’s Infidelity Effectiveness of Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy on Rumination and Self-doubt Depressed Women Victims of Partner’s Infidelity 1 9 10.61838/kman.pwj.6.3.7 EN Journal Article 2025 03 21 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) in reducing rumination and self-doubt among depressed women who have experienced partner infidelity.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 30 women aged 25 to 45 who reported betrayal by a male partner within the past year and met DSM-5 criteria for mild to moderate depression. Participants were recruited from mental health centers across Tehran and randomly assigned to an intervention group (ISTDP) or a waitlist control group. All participants completed the Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and Subjective Overachievement Scale (SOS) at baseline and post-intervention. The intervention group received ten weekly 60-minute ISTDP sessions based on Frederickson’s protocol, culturally adapted to the Iranian context. Mixed-design ANOVA was used to analyze pre- and post-test scores.</p> <p><strong>Findings: </strong>Statistical analyses revealed significant time × group interaction effects for both rumination and self-doubt. Rumination scores in the ISTDP group decreased from M = 62.40 (SD = 8.21) at pretest to M = 48.20 (SD = 7.50) at posttest, while the control group showed minimal change. For rumination, F(1, 28) = 31.94, p &lt; .001, partial η² = .53. Self-doubt scores dropped from M = 43.60 (SD = 6.95) to M = 32.67 (SD = 6.08) in the intervention group, with F(1, 28) = 27.13, p &lt; .001, partial η² = .49. No significant main effects of group were found. All assumptions of ANOVA were met.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ISTDP proved effective in significantly reducing rumination and self-doubt in depressed women who experienced partner infidelity. The findings support the utility of ISTDP as a culturally adaptable and emotionally focused intervention for cognitive-affective symptoms associated with relational trauma.</p> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/psywoman/article/download/4202/7350