Comparing the Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Metacognitive Therapy on Attachment Styles and Dimensions of Identity Transformation in Adolescents

Background and Objectives: Adolescence is a critical period of social, psychological, and physical development. Adolescents make important choices about health, growth, attitudes, and health behaviors that will affect their adulthood. Therefore, this research was conducted to compare the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy and metacognitive therapy on attachment styles and dimensions of identity transformation in adolescents. Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study was performed with a pretest-posttest follow-up design and a control group. The research population included all adolescent girls aged ۱۳ to ۱۶ years in District ۱ of Baharestan City who were studying in the seventh to tenth grades in the academic year of ۲۰۲۲-۲۰۲۳ and were referred to the education counseling center in ۲۰۲۲. Out of this population, three groups of ۲۰ people were selected using the availability sampling method and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The required data were collected through Hazan and Shaver's (۱۹۸۷) Attachment Styles Questionnaire and Berzonsky’s Identity Style Inventory (۱۹۹۲) in three pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. The subjects in the experimental groups underwent dialectical behavior therapy and metacognitive therapy in one ۶۰-minute session per week; however, the control group received no training. The data were statistically analyzed in SPSS software using the repeated measures ANOVA. The significant level was considered < ۰.۰۵. Results: The results were indicative of the significant effects of dialectical behavior therapy and metacognitive therapy on attachment styles (P=۰.۰۱۷) and the dimensions of identity transformation (P=۰.۰۲۳). Conclusion: According to the results of this research, the goal of dialectical behavior therapy and metacognition therapy was to increase behaviors that would probably lead to a safe and healthy attachment style and healthy identity transformation in adolescents, and these rewards are internal or external.

کلیدواژه ها:

Adolescent ، Attachment styles ، Dialectical behavior therapy ، Identity transformation ، Metacognitive therapy