The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Self-Efficacy and Emotion Regulation in Divorced Women

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on self-efficacy and emotion regulation among divorced women in Rasht, Iran. This research seeks to determine the extent to which this psychological intervention improves individuals’ beliefs in their own abilities (self-efficacy) and enhances emotion regulation skills.

This study is a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) with a pretest–posttest design including a control group.

This study will be conducted after obtaining the necessary approvals from the Welfare Organization (Behzisti) of Rasht. Participants will be recruited from divorced women covered by or referred to welfare-affiliated centers in Rasht. After screening based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, eligible participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) intervention will be delivered in group sessions at counseling centers affiliated with the Welfare Organization.

Inclusion Criteria Being divorced_Minimum education level: high school diploma_No severe physical illnesses No severe mood or emotional disorders _Age between 20 and 50 years _At least 6 months have passed since divorce Exclusion Criteria_Absence from intervention sessions_Lack of willingness to participate in sessions_Incomplete completion of questionnaires_Missing more than two sessions_Failure to sign the informed consent form and lack of cooperation with the therapist

Experimental Group:Divorced women who will receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in a structured session format. Control Group:Divorced women who will not receive any psychological intervention during the study period .

Self-efficacy and Emotion Regulation:

In this study, simple randomization with a 1:1 allocation ratio was used, and the unit of randomization was the individual participant. Block and stratified randomization were not applied. To generate the random allocation sequence, an equal number of slips labeled “intervention” and “control” were prepared, thoroughly mixed, and placed in a container. Eligible participants were then assigned sequentially to the intervention or control group according to the lottery result until the required sample size for each group was reached. Before the lottery was conducted, group allocation was unknown to both the researcher and the participants, and the assignment was revealed only after the lottery was completed.

The data of this study include demographic information and scores obtained from self-efficacy and emotion regulation questionnaires among divorced women participating in the study. The dataset also includes pre-test and post-test results for both the intervention (CBT) and control groups. All individual participant data will be fully de-identified prior to analysis and sharing, ensuring that no personal identifiers such as names, phone numbers, or addresses are included in the dataset. If data sharing is permitted, the full anonymized raw dataset, including questionnaire scores and non-identifiable demographic variables, may be made available to other researchers. However, any identifying information will not be shared under any circumstances. Alternatively, in some cases, only data related to primary outcomes (self-efficacy and emotion regulation scores) may be shared for secondary analyses. Data sharing will be conducted solely for research purposes and upon formal request, in accordance with ethical research guidelines.

10 years after access begins

Welfare Organization and Psychologists

It can be used to use data results and use treatment protocols and in situations of helping others.

The data and study-related documents may be made available upon reasonable scientific request and in accordance with confidentiality requirements. Interested researchers may submit their requests to the Principal Investigator, the relevant office of State Welfare Organization of Iran in Rasht, or the Islamic Azad University where the study is conducted. Following review and approval by the appropriate authorities and in compliance with ethical requirements, the requested data will be shared in a coded and de-identified format, with all participant-identifying information removed.

Research data will be collected, coded, and stored confidentially. Any request for access to the study data or related documents must be submitted to the principal investigator and will be reviewed in accordance with the relevant ethical and institutional requirements. Upon approval by the appropriate ethics committee or research authority, the requested data will be provided in a de-identified form, ensuring that no personally identifiable information of participants is disclosed. All study documents will be securely stored, and access will be restricted to authorized members of the research team only.