The Effectiveness of Narrative Therapy on Mental Vitality and Executive Functions among Adolescent Girls in Isfahan

Adolescence is a period in which, due to changes in maturity, values and identity crisis, the possibility of psychological and behavioral problems in people increases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of narrative therapy on mental vitality and executive functions among adolescent girls aged 13 to 18 in Isfahan city.

The research method was semi-experimental including a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a 2-month follow-up phase. The statistical population included all adolescent girls aged 13 to 18 in Isfahan city in 2022. Through the available sampling method 40 people were selected from among teenage girls aged 13 to 18 referring to the welfare centers of the 2nd and 3rd regions of Isfahan city, according to the entry and exit criteria and answering the questions of the questionnaires. They were placed by a simple random method in two experimental (20 people) and control (20 people) groups. The research tools were Ryan and Frederick and Kolich neuro-psychology questionnaires. The experimental group was exposed to 8 sessions of 90-minute narrative therapy intervention based on Gerald de Manck's  protocol; while the control group was on the waiting list. The data were analyzed using SPSS-23 software and at two descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (variance analysis with repeated measurements) levels (p<0.001).

The mean and standard deviation of the mental vitality scores in the post-test stage were 25.95±3.92 in the experimental group and 19.55±2.91 in the control group. The mean and standard deviation of the executive function scores in the post-test stage were 17/30±3.21 in the experimental group and 29.40 ± 4.60 in the control group. The findings showed that the average scores of mental vitality had increased significantly compared to the control group and the scores of executive functions in its subscales had decreased compared to the control group (p<0/001).

Based on the findings of present research, it can be concluded that narrative therapy has a significant effect on increasing the mental vitality and improving the executive functions of adolescent girls in Isfahan city. Therefore, it is necessary to use narrative therapy training as one of the ways to improve the psychological factors of our adolescent girl’s generation in educational centers and administrators of our country.