The effect of behavioral activation therapy on learned helplessness and psychological toughness in depressed women

Depressed women have psychological problems that require interventions such as behavioral activation to reduce them. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of behavioral activation therapy on learned helplessness and psychological toughness in depressed women.

The research design was a semi-experimental pre-test post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the research included all the people suffering from depression in Babol city who had referred to psychotherapy clinics in Babol city in 2019. Thirty people who scored medium to high in the Beck Depression Questionnaire were randomly selected and assigned into two groups (15 people in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group). The intervention group underwent 90-minute behavioral activation therapy from Leahy, Holland & McGinn (2002) in 8 sessions once a week in groups, but no action was taken in the control group. Quinles and Nelson's (1988) learned helplessness questionnaire and Ahvaz Kiamarthi, Najarian and Mehrabizadeh's (1999) psychological toughness questionnaire were applied to them. Data analysis was done with descriptive tests (mean and standard deviation) and covariance analysis using SPSS version 23 software. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.

The results of covariance analysis indicated that behavioral activation treatment had an effect on learned helplessness (F = 49.24) and psychological toughness (F = 17.58) in depressed women (P<0.001). The amount of this effect in the variable of learned helplessness based on the square of the eta coefficient was equal to 52% and in the variable of psychological toughness, it was equal to 37%.

According to the results of this research, behavioral activation can be used to reduce the psychological problems of depressed women and increase their toughness.