The Effect of Family-Centered Psychotherapy Interventions on Improving Mental Learning Performance of Children with Mental Disorders Hospitalized in Hospital

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of family-centered psychotherapy interventions on improving mental learning performance and reducing psychological distress in children with mental disorders hospitalized in hospital. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The statistical population included children under 10 years of age with learning disorders and psychological distress who were hospitalized in public hospitals in Tehran in the year 2025 (1404 Persian calendar). Among the screened individuals, 30 children meeting the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly assigned into two groups: experimental and control, with 15 children in each group. The experimental group participated in an eight-session family-centered psychotherapy program (each session lasting 45 minutes), while the control group received no intervention. Research instruments included the Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that after controlling for the pretest effect, the family-centered intervention had a significant effect on reducing psychological distress (F = 53.63, p < 0.001, η² = 0.98). Additionally, the intervention had a significant effect on reducing reading disorder (F = 10.82, p < 0.001, η² = 0.29). Regarding the component of spatial problems, a significant difference was also reported between the two groups (F = 16.64, p < 0.001, η² = 0.38). Furthermore, the intervention had a significant effect on reducing arithmetic problems (F = 17.78, p < 0.001, η² = 0.39). Based on the findings, family-centered psychotherapy can be used as a complementary approach to reduce psychological distress and improve certain components of mental learning in hospitalized children.