Can a psychosocial intervention programme teaching coping strategies improve the quality of life of Iranian women? A non-randomised quasi-experimental study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess whether a psychosocial intervention teaching coping strategies to women can improve quality of life (QOL) in groups of Iranian women exposed to social pressures.DesignQuasi-experimental non-randomised group design involving two categories of Iranian women, each category represented by non-equivalent intervention and comparison groups.SettingA large urban area in Iran.Participants44 women; 25 single mothers and 19 newly married women.InterventionsSeventh-month psychosocial intervention aimed at providing coping strategies.Primary outcome measuresEffect sizes in four specific health-related domains and two overall perceptions of QOL and health measured by the WHOQOL-BREF instrument.ResultsLarge effect sizes were observed among the women exposed to the intervention in the WHOQOL-BREF subdomains measuring physical health (r=0.68; p<0.001), psychological health (r=0.72; p<0.001), social relationships (r=0.52; p<0.01), environmental health (r=0.55; p<0.01) and in the overall perception of QOL (r=0.72; p<0.001); the effect size regarding overall perception of health was between small and medium (r=0.20; not significant). Small and not statistically significant effect sizes were observed in the women provided with traditional social welfare services.ConclusionsTeaching coping strategies can improve the QOL of women in societies where gender discrimination is prevalent. The findings require reproduction in studies with a more rigorous design before the intervention model can be recommended for widespread distribution.

Are social determinants associated with depression among married women of reproductive age? A mixed methods study from urban slums of Islamabad, Pakistan

“…The more social support the pregnant woman receives, the lower is her risk of depression [ 26 ]. Teaching coping strategies to the suffering women has shown positive effects [ 27 ]. Integration of health counseling into postnatal care and a non-judgmental service provision can help women improve their health in the postpartum period [ 28 ].…”

Empowering Marginalized People by Maximizing Reflective Intelligence: A Pragmatist Problem Solving Approach

“…A majority of the women improved their family relationships and almost half had improved the financial situation of their family [40,42]. A third investigation of the same group-a nonrandomized quasi-experimental study-shows that through participation in this research project these marginalised women succeeded to improve both their physical and psychological health [40][41]. However, further studies evaluating the use of this tool in larger groups and heterogeneous populations are necessary before a more widespread dissemination can be recommended.…”

“…Rahyab is a Persian term translated as "finding one's way," and was chosen as a fitting label for the development of a specific psychological tool to intervene on and bolster reflective intelligence. This tool has been in use in social work in Iran and Sweden since 1997 and is target of several action research projects in these two countries [32,33,38,[39][40][41][42][43]. In 2000, the tool was presented to non-governmental organizations and social work departments at two universities in Iran.…”