The Effectiveness of Group Positive Psychotherapy on Social Well-Being and Flourishing in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group positive psychotherapy on the social well-being and flourishing of women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). This was a semi-experimental study utilizing a pre-test, post-test design with an unequal control group and a follow-up phase. The statistical population comprised all women with PMDD who visited psychiatric, counseling, and health centers in Siahkal city during the second half of the year 1401. A total of 39participants were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned into an experimental group (n=19) and a control group (n=20). The experimental group received 8weekly sessions (90 minutes each) of group positive psychotherapy. Data were collected using the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), Keyes’ Social Well-being Questionnaire, and the PERMA Flourishing Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using repeated-measures ANOVA and the Bonferroni post-hoc test. The results demonstrated that group positive psychotherapy significantly increased the mean scores of social well-being and flourishing (and their components) in women with PMDD compared to the control group (P<0.01). Furthermore, post-hoc analysis indicated that the positive effects of the intervention remained stable during the follow-up phase (P<0.01). The findings suggest that group positive psychotherapy is a highly beneficial intervention for enhancing social well-being and flourishing in women suffering from PMDD, and mental health professionals can effectively utilize this approach in their clinical treatments.