Effectiveness of Narrative Therapy on Social Physique Anxiety in Obese and Overweight Women

Given the high prevalence of obesity and overweight and the detrimental impact on the mental health of affected people, the objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of narrative therapy on social physique anxiety in obese and overweight women.

The current research was a semi-experimental type, with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The study population for this research consisted of all obese and overweight women in Tabriz city in 2023. 30 women were selected by the available sampling method and were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group received narrative treatment in 8 sessions of 90 minutes, while the control group did not receive any treatment and was placed on the waiting list. At the end of the treatment period, a post-test was performed in both groups. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale by Hart et al. (1989) was used as the measurement tool. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (covariance test with repeated measures) by SPSS-24 software.

In the pre-test, the mean and standard deviation of social physique anxiety in the experimental group were 44.33±2.289, while in the control group, it was 43.67±3.063. In the post-test stage, the values for social physique anxiety in the experimental group were 36.33±3.117, while in the control group, it was 43.80±3.385. The results indicated the effectiveness of narrative therapy (p<0.001). In the follow-up stages, it was found that the effects of narrative therapy are lasting (p<0.001).

According to the results, it can be concluded that narrative can be an effective method for reducing social physique anxiety in obese and overweight women.