Comparing the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy and emotion-focused therapy on the mental well-being of high school female students with suicide attempts

Introduction: We conducted the present study to compare the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on the mental well-being of high school female students with suicide attempts.  Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this study included female high school students who attempted suicide and were referred to the counseling center in Bojnord City, Iran, in 2022-2023. Forty-five students were selected through the convenience sampling method and they were randomly assigned into three groups (CFT, EFT, and the control). The participants fulfilled the Mental Well-being Questionnaire of Keyes and Magyar-Mo (2003). The experimental groups received interventions in eight ninety-minute sessions. We analyzed the data using MANCOVA test, ANOVA test, and SPSS version 20.  Results: The results revealed a significant difference between the mean scores of the three groups in the post-test and follow-up stages in social well-being (P 0.01). While, the mean score of mental well-being was higher in CFT group.  Conclusion: We concluded that both compassion-focused therapy and emotion-focused therapy impact significantly on mental well-being, while compassion-focused therapy is more effective on mental well-being in female high school students with suicide attempts.