The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy on Anxiety Sensitivity, Insecure Attachment, and Emotional Reactivity in Adolescents

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy in reducing anxiety sensitivity, insecure attachment, and emotional reactivity in adolescents. This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group and follow-up phase. The statistical population consisted of adolescents in Tehran during the 2024 academic year, from which 45 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n=23) and control (n=22) groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions of Emotion-Focused Therapy (90 minutes each), while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using standardized measures of anxiety sensitivity, insecure attachment, and emotional reactivity at pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages and analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. Repeated-measures ANOVA results indicated significant effects of time, group, and time×group interaction for all variables (p<0.001). Bonferroni post hoc analysis revealed significant differences between pretest and posttest, and pretest and follow-up in the experimental group, whereas no significant differences were found between posttest and follow-up, indicating the stability of treatment effects. The findings suggest that Emotion-Focused Therapy is an effective intervention for reducing anxiety sensitivity, insecure attachment, and emotional reactivity in adolescents, with effects that remain stable over time, supporting its application in adolescent psychological interventions.