The Effectiveness of Emotion Focused Therapy on Mental Well Being and Emotional Self Efficacy in Adolescent Girls with Symptoms of Nomophobia

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Maeda Soltanian ¹

Hadi Farhadi ²

¹ MA Student of Psychology, Research Center for Behavioral and Psychological Science, Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran,

² Associate Professor, Research Center for Behavioral and Psychological Science, Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.

10.22067/tpccp.2026.93331.1787

Abstract

Extended Abstract
Introduction
In the current digital era, smartphones have become an integral component of adolescents' daily lives. Excessive reliance on technology has been shown to induce anxiety, diminish self-control, and impair emotional regulation, leading to conditions such as nomophobia. As posited by King et al. (2013), nomophobia—an emerging disorder—is associated with symptoms including anxiety, restlessness, decreased concentration, and fear of isolation. Among the variables adversely affected by nomophobia in adolescents are subjective well-being, which encompasses an individual's perception of themselves and their subjective experience of life (Habibpour Gatabi, 2022), and emotional self-efficacy, defined as the ability not to be overwhelmed by negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and despair, and to experience or express positive emotions, maintain emotional stability, and modulate negative emotions in difficult situations (Mir Mousavi & Farghdani, 2018). Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Leslie Greenberg and colleagues (1980), emphasises the fundamental role of emotions in mental health and aims to help individuals identify, process, and transform maladaptive emotions, thereby enhancing emotional self-efficacy (Torabiyan et al., 2024). Given its emphasis on emotion regulation, EFT represents a suitable approach for addressing the emotional vulnerabilities associated with nomophobia. The present study therefore sought to examine the efficacy of EFT on subjective well-being and emotional self-efficacy in adolescent girls in Isfahan presenting with symptoms of nomophobia.
Method
The present study employed a quasi-experimental design, incorporating a pre-test, post-test, with a control group. The sample size was determined as follows: A total of 30 female adolescents from various educational institutions in Isfahan were selected on a random basis, as recommended by Cook et al. (2002). Participants were deemed eligible for inclusion in the study if they attained scores greater than 35 on the administered scale. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, comprising 15 individuals, or the control group, comprising an equivalent number. The experimental group received EFT (Greenberg et al., 1980) in eight 90-minute sessions over a period of two months. The content of the sessions focused on increasing emotional awareness, emotion regulation strategies, and changing maladaptive emotional patterns. The research instruments employed included the Nomophobia Questionnaire (Azadmanesh et al., 2016), the Subjective Well-Being Scale (Kays and Magyar-Mo, 2003), and the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (Schott and Donald, 2008). The analysis was conducted using SPSS and a multivariate covariance test (MANCOVA).
Findings
The Levene's F test was utilized to assess the hypothesis of equal variances. This assumption was substantiated in the subjective well-being variable (F = 0.21, p = 0.8) and in the emotional self-efficacy variable (F = 0.17, p = 0.83). The results of the multivariate analysis of covariance test demonstrated that F (6.61) was significant, thereby indicating that the therapeutic interventions were effective on at least one of the dependent variables. The results of the univariate analysis of covariance for the post-test scores of the research components demonstrated that F for subjective well-being was 4.86 (p < 0.001) and for emotional self-efficacy was 17.09 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the eta coefficient demonstrated that participation in therapy sessions resulted in substantial enhancements in subjective well-being (with an effect size of 0.16) and emotional self-efficacy (with an effect size of 0.40). The findings indicate a significant discrepancy between the experimental and control groups with respect to subjective well-being and emotional self-efficacy in the post-test phase. The therapeutic intervention, grounded in emotion-focused therapy, has been demonstrated to enhance subjective well-being and emotional self-efficacy in adolescent girls with symptoms of nomophobia.
Discussion
The experimental and control groups showed divergent results on subjective well-being, consistent with previous studies (Pontes, 2016; Compare, 2019; Atadokht, 2019). The hypothesis suggests that individuals with nomophobia who undergo the emotional awareness stage of EFT, rather than suppressing their emotions, become aware of and deeply experience their feelings, which in turn enhances subjective well-being. Implementing emotion regulation training in schools is recommended. This process is thought to help individuals tolerate distressing experiences, thereby improving overall well-being. Similarly, the groups differed on emotional self-efficacy, aligning with prior research (Torabian, 2024; Furrow, 2011; Pay Pouzan, 2020). This can be explained by the fact that EFT helps individuals use their emotions adaptively, develop greater emotional awareness, express emotions more effectively across situations, and reduce negative affect (Pay Pouzan, 2020). It is recommended that EFT, through its focus on experiential processing and emotional transformation, help adolescents not only recognise their feelings but also use them as resources for psychological growth. The present study demonstrated that EFT can serve as an effective, humane, and culturally responsive approach to addressing nomophobia and promoting adolescent mental health. Integrating EFT into school counselling programmes and community mental health services can provide effective tools for managing emotional challenges.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
In the current digital era, smartphones have become an integral component of adolescents' daily lives. Excessive reliance on technology has been shown to induce anxiety, diminish self-control, and impair emotional regulation, leading to conditions such as nomophobia. As posited by King et al. (2013), nomophobia—an emerging disorder—is associated with symptoms including anxiety, restlessness, decreased concentration, and fear of isolation. Among the variables adversely affected by nomophobia in adolescents are subjective well-being, which encompasses an individual's perception of themselves and their subjective experience of life (Habibpour Gatabi, 2022), and emotional self-efficacy, defined as the ability not to be overwhelmed by negative emotions such as anger, sadness, and despair, and to experience or express positive emotions, maintain emotional stability, and modulate negative emotions in difficult situations (Mir Mousavi & Farghdani, 2018). Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT), developed by Leslie Greenberg and colleagues (1980), emphasises the fundamental role of emotions in mental health and aims to help individuals identify, process, and transform maladaptive emotions, thereby enhancing emotional self-efficacy (Torabiyan et al., 2024). Given its emphasis on emotion regulation, EFT represents a suitable approach for addressing the emotional vulnerabilities associated with nomophobia. The present study therefore sought to examine the efficacy of EFT on subjective well-being and emotional self-efficacy in adolescent girls in Isfahan presenting with symptoms of nomophobia.
Method
The present study employed a quasi-experimental design, incorporating a pre-test, post-test, with a control group. The sample size was determined as follows: A total of 30 female adolescents from various educational institutions in Isfahan were selected on a random basis, as recommended by Cook et al. (2002). Participants were deemed eligible for inclusion in the study if they attained scores greater than 35 on the administered scale. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, comprising 15 individuals, or the control group, comprising an equivalent number. The experimental group received EFT (Greenberg et al., 1980) in eight 90-minute sessions over a period of two months. The content of the sessions focused on increasing emotional awareness, emotion regulation strategies, and changing maladaptive emotional patterns. The research instruments employed included the Nomophobia Questionnaire (Azadmanesh et al., 2016), the Subjective Well-Being Scale (Kays and Magyar-Mo, 2003), and the Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (Schott and Donald, 2008). The analysis was conducted using SPSS and a multivariate covariance test (MANCOVA).
Findings
The Levene's F test was utilized to assess the hypothesis of equal variances. This assumption was substantiated in the subjective well-being variable (F = 0.21, p = 0.8) and in the emotional self-efficacy variable (F = 0.17, p = 0.83). The results of the multivariate analysis of covariance test demonstrated that F (6.61) was significant, thereby indicating that the therapeutic interventions were effective on at least one of the dependent variables. The results of the univariate analysis of covariance for the post-test scores of the research components demonstrated that F for subjective well-being was 4.86 (p < 0.001) and for emotional self-efficacy was 17.09 (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the eta coefficient demonstrated that participation in therapy sessions resulted in substantial enhancements in subjective well-being (with an effect size of 0.16) and emotional self-efficacy (with an effect size of 0.40). The findings indicate a significant discrepancy between the experimental and control groups with respect to subjective well-being and emotional self-efficacy in the post-test phase. The therapeutic intervention, grounded in emotion-focused therapy, has been demonstrated to enhance subjective well-being and emotional self-efficacy in adolescent girls with symptoms of nomophobia.
Discussion
The experimental and control groups showed divergent results on subjective well-being, consistent with previous studies (Pontes, 2016; Compare, 2019; Atadokht, 2019). The hypothesis suggests that individuals with nomophobia who undergo the emotional awareness stage of EFT, rather than suppressing their emotions, become aware of and deeply experience their feelings, which in turn enhances subjective well-being. Implementing emotion regulation training in schools is recommended. This process is thought to help individuals tolerate distressing experiences, thereby improving overall well-being. Similarly, the groups differed on emotional self-efficacy, aligning with prior research (Torabian, 2024; Furrow, 2011; Pay Pouzan, 2020). This can be explained by the fact that EFT helps individuals use their emotions adaptively, develop greater emotional awareness, express emotions more effectively across situations, and reduce negative affect (Pay Pouzan, 2020). It is recommended that EFT, through its focus on experiential processing and emotional transformation, help adolescents not only recognise their feelings but also use them as resources for psychological growth. The present study demonstrated that EFT can serve as an effective, humane, and culturally responsive approach to addressing nomophobia and promoting adolescent mental health. Integrating EFT into school counselling programmes and community mental health services can provide effective tools for managing emotional challenges.
 

Keywords

nomophobia

emotion-oriented therapy

emotional well-being

emotional adequacy

emotional self-efficacy

Subjects

• Cognetive Psy

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