Miss Rezvan Aminalroaya, Mr Hasan Zareeimahmoodabadi, Miss Marieh Dehghanmanshadi, Miss Fahimeh Dehghani,
Volume 24, Issue 95 (12-2025)
Abstract
Objective: Blended families, due to their unique structure and complex relational dynamics, can create emotional and cognitive challenges for adolescents. Self-help educational programs, by strengthening emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility skills, may enhance adolescents’ adaptation to new family conditions. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a self-help educational package on emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility in adolescents from blended families.
Method: Method: This research employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group. The statistical population included 120 female high school students from blended families in Yazd during the 2023–2024 academic year. Based on inclusion criteria (being a female adolescent from a blended family in Yazd, at least six months having passed since the formation of the new family, studying in high school, and voluntary participation with parental consent), 40 participants were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental (n = 20) and control (n = 20) groups. Data were collected using the Gratz and Roemer Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2004) and the Dennis and Vander Wal Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (2010). The self-help educational program was conducted for the experimental group in ten 60-minute sessions. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).
Results: Findings: The results showed that the self-help educational intervention significantly improved emotion regulation (F = 60.30, p < .05) and cognitive flexibility (F = 55.05, p < .05) in the experimental group, while no significant changes were observed in the control group. The findings also indicated that self-help education can effectively enhance adolescents’ self-management skills and cognitive–emotional adjustment in blended families.
Conclusion: Conclusion: The findings suggest that self-help educational interventions can serve as an effective tool for promoting psychological well-being and cognitive–emotional adaptability among adolescents in blended families.
