Comparing the Effectiveness of Dialectical Friendship Training and Mentalization-Based Friendship Training on Socio-Emotional Development and Loneliness in Rejected Children

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of dialectical friendship training and mentalization-based friendship training on socio-emotional development and loneliness in rejected children. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a two-month follow-up and a control group. The population consisted of mothers and their rejected primary school girls in Isfahan in 2025, from which 60 participants were purposively selected and randomly assigned into two experimental groups and one control group (n=20 each). Data were collected using the Social-Emotional Development Questionnaire and the Loneliness Questionnaire across three stages. The interventions—dialectical friendship training and mentalization-based friendship training—were delivered to mothers in eight sessions. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests . Results indicated significant effects of time, group, and time×group interaction on both socio-emotional development and loneliness (p<0.05). Both intervention groups showed significant improvement in socio-emotional development and reduction in loneliness compared to the control group. However, no significant difference was found between the two intervention approaches (p>0.05). The intervention effects remained stable at follow-up. Both dialectical and mentalization-based friendship training are effective interventions for enhancing socio-emotional development and reducing loneliness in rejected children, with no statistically significant superiority of one approach over the other.