The Effectiveness of Group -Based Compassion Therapeutic on Uncertainty and Concern in Female Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group-based compassion therapy on uncertainty and concern among female students with generalized anxiety disorder. The research method was semi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group. The research population was comprised of all third grade secondary school female students in Mashhad, Iran during the first half of the academic year of 1394-1394. After initial evaluation for comprehensive anxiety disorder, using the semi-structured interview of Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version 30 female students were selected via judgmental sampling procedure and randomized samples were assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received compassionate therapy intervention in 8 sessions of 90 minutes per week in two sessions (grouped); the control group was placed on the waiting list for two months. To analyze the data, multivariate analysis of covariance analysis was implemented. The results showed that by controlling the effect of pre-test, the mean post-test scores of the experimental groups and the control group in the uncertainty variable and its components included; the disability to perform the operation, the stressfulness of the uncertainty, There was significant difference between uncertainties about the future and the variable of concern in the experimental and control groups . The research concluded that compassion therapy was able to reduce the incidence of uncertainty and concern among students with generalized anxiety disorder.