Effectiveness of Self-Differentiation Training on Empathy and Self-Control of Divorced Students with Tendency Towards High Risk Behaviors

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of self-differentiation training on empathy and self-control of divorced students with tendency towards high risk behaviors. The research method was semi experimental (with experimental and control groups) with three-stage design (pretest, posttest, follow-up) and two-month follow-up period. The statistical population of the research included divorced students with a tendency towards high risk behaviors who were studying in the first and second period of high school in the academic year of 2020-2021 in Bandar Abbas city. thirty five divorced student with a tendency towards high risk behaviors were selected through purposive sampling method and were randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups (18 student in the experimental and 17 student in the control group). The students in the experimental group received ten seventy five-minute sessions of self-differentiation training during ten weeks. High Risk Behaviors Questionnaire (Mohammadkhani, 2007), Empathy Questionnaire (Jolliffe, Farrington, 2006) and Self-Control Questionnaire (Tangney, Baumeister, Boone, 2004) were used in the present study.The results showed that self-differentiation training has significant effect on the empathy (p<0001, Eta=0.57, F=43.38) and self-control (p<0001, Eta= 0.53, F=37.32) in the divorced students with tendency towards high risk behaviors. According to the findings of the present study it can be concluded that self-differentiation training can be used as an efficient method to increace empathy and self-control of divorced students with tendency towards high risk behaviors through employing techniques such as differentiating rational from irrational beliefs, equipping the members with special communicative skills and shouldering the responsibility.