Effect of Assertiveness Training on Self-Efficacy and Differentiation in About to Marry Girls Sponsored by the State Welfare Organization of Iran, Shush City

Introduction: A successful society depends on coherent and successful families and it comes true when the choice of couples is made on knowledge. Marriage is a complex and delicate relationship between two human beings that plays an essential role in achieving the emotional, psychological, and physical needs of men and women; Therefore, the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of self-assertion skill training on self-efficacy and differentiation among the about-to-marry girls under the protection of welfare organization. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. The statistical population was eighty-seven girls about to get married under the welfare support of Shush city. Fifty girls were selected by convenience and replaced by random assignment in two groups(experimental and control groups) of twenty-five people each. Data gathering tools in this research were Sherer et al.1982 self-efficacy beliefs and Scouron’s2000 differentiation questionnaire (DSI). The experimental group received eight sessions of ninety-minute group assertiveness techniques. The univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multivariate analysis (MANCOVA) was used by SPSS22 to analyze the data. Results: Results of the study showed that scores of self-efficacy and differentiation had a significant difference in the two groups (P<0.01), which means self-assertion skill training lead to increases in self-efficacy and differentiation among the about-to-marry girls under the protection of welfare organization in post-test. The scores of the experimental group after receiving self-assertion skills training showed decreasing in emotional reactivity, emotional separation, and emotional integration and increasing in my position dimension rather compare to the control. Conclusions: The finding of this study showed that self-assertion skill training increases self-efficacy and differentiation among about-to-marry girls under the protection of welfare organizations, so this method can be used to increase self-efficacy and differentiation.