effect of life skills training on self-esteem and decreasing violence against women

background: the need for self-esteem is one of the natural human psychological needs. in lifeskills trainingit is aimed to help women for better understanding and properly being able to cope with violent behavioragainst them. this study examinedthe impact of life skills training on self-esteem of women for the prevention of domestic violence. methods: this was a semi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design. itwas performed on 91 women coveredby imam khomeini relief committee in gorgan, iran, in 2011. the subjectswere randomly selected. the data collection toolsincludeddemographic data and rosenberg’s self-esteem questionnaires. educational intervention was designedas three educational sessions lasting120 minutes each. 45 days after the intervention, the secondary test was done. findings: before the intervention, mean scores of self-esteem was 5.29, whichsignificantly increasedto 6.64 after the intervention(p<0.001). the linear regression test showed a significant relationship between life skills training and self-esteem after the educational program. there was a significant relationship between the level of violence before the intervention and after the intervention (p <0.001). conclusion: self-esteem can be increased with life skills training,which leads to problem solving and effective communication in women. itcan prevent negative behaviors at home and will increase confidence and reduce violence.