The Effectiveness of Emotional Working Memory Education on the Ability to Control Affection and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Women Hurt by Infidelity

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional working memory education on the ability to control emotions and cognitive emotion regulation in women hurt by infidelity.

This was a pre-test, post-test and follow-up single-blind intervention study. From among the women hurt by infidelity referring to the Social Emergency Department of Sabzevar City, Iran between September and January 2021, a sample of 42 were randomly selected and assigned to either an experimental (n = 21) or a control group (n = 21). They completed 2 questionnaires, namely, an Inhibition of Emotions Questionnaire (27) and a Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (29), initially and after the intervention. The education was carried out in 20 sessions using emotional working memory education software (32). The data were analyzed using the repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance.

Analysis of the data showed that emotional working memory education can affect the ability to control emotions and regulate cognitive emotion in women hurt by infidelity.

A complementary treatment strategy for controlling emotions and cognitive emotion regulation in women hurt by infidelity is emotional work-based education. Practical implications of the findings of this study were discussed.