Psychological interventions in health and diseases
Mohammadhassan Asayesh
Abstract
Objective: Anxiety disorders require cost-effective and time-limited interventions. The present study aimed to design and validate a Paradoxical Group Therapy (PGT) protocol for anxiety disorders.
Method: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, conducted in two phases using a sequential qualitative ...
Read More
Objective: Anxiety disorders require cost-effective and time-limited interventions. The present study aimed to design and validate a Paradoxical Group Therapy (PGT) protocol for anxiety disorders.
Method: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, conducted in two phases using a sequential qualitative (focus group) and quantitative (descriptive-survey) design for the purpose of designing and establishing the content validity of the Paradoxical Group Therapy protocol. The statistical population consisted of eight expert psychotherapists experienced in paradoxical therapy and group therapy. The protocol's validity was then evaluated using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI).
Results: The protocol comprised five core stages: (1) the pre-group stage, (2) the initial stage, (3) the transition stage, (4) the working or therapeutic stage, and (5) the termination stage. Special paradoxical therapy techniques such as symptom prescription, exaggeration therapy, goal reversal, paradoxical role-playing, paradoxical intention, and focusing on the here and now were collected. The results indicated that the content validity of the protocol was confirmed at an acceptable level (CVI = 0.91; CVR = 0.97). Given that all session-level CVR values exceeded 0.85, and the overall mean CVR (0.97) was higher than the minimum acceptable value proposed by Lawshe (1975), it can be concluded that experts rated the paradoxical group therapy protocol for anxiety disorders as appropriate and valid.
Conclusion: This validated protocol can serve as a standardized and practical tool for psychotherapists and clinicians familiar with paradoxical psychotherapy, providing a structured approach to the treatment of anxiety disorders in group settings.
