A mixed-methods study of the development and evaluation of an Internal Family Systems (IFS)-based group intervention for post-traumatic cognitions and fear of compassion among trauma-exposed adolescents in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC).

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος:	A mixed-methods study of the development and evaluation of an Internal Family Systems (IFS)-based group intervention for post-traumatic cognitions and fear of compassion among trauma-exposed adolescents in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC).
Συγγραφείς:	Habibi N; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Electronic address: n.habibi@uma.ac.ir., Basharpoor S; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran., Atadokht A; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran., Narimani M; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran., Hatami Varzaneh A; Department of Counselling, Faculty of Humanities, Hazrat-e Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran.
Πηγή:	Child abuse & neglect [Child Abuse Negl] 2026 Aug; Vol. 178, pp. 108140. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jun 04.
Τύπος έκδοσης:	Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial
Γλώσσα:	English
Στοιχεία περιοδικού:	Publisher: Elsevier Science Inc Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7801702 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-7757 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01452134 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Child Abuse Negl Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):	Publication: Oxford : Elsevier Science Inc Original Publication: Oxford, Elmsford, N. Y., Pergamon Press.
Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH):	Family Therapy/methods , Foster Home Care/psychology , Psychotherapy, Group/methods , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/therapy , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*/psychology, Fear/psychology ; Adolescent ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Cognition ; Empathy
Περίληψη:	Background: Adolescents in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) often suffer multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences, leading to high rates of distorted Post-Traumatic Cognitions (PTC) and Fear of Compassion (FC). Tailored, evidence-based psychological interventions are essential for this group. Objective: This mixed-methods study aimed to design, validate, and empirically evaluate a Internal Family Systems (IFS)-based group intervention for trauma-exposed adolescents in Out-of-Home Care (OOHC). Participants and Setting: Fifty trauma-exposed adolescents (27 female, 23 male) were purposively selected from 180 OOHC residents and randomly assigned to the IFS (n = 25) or control (n = 25) group. Methods: The IFS protocol was first developed and validated qualitatively via content analysis and expert review. The quantitative quasi-experimental phase utilized a pre-post-follow-up design to assess PTC and FC using standardized measures across three time points. Results: IFS led to significant reductions across all PTC subscales. The strongest and most stable effect was on Negative Self-Cognitions (η² = 0.40), while the most immediate change, aligning with IFS theory regarding Protector Parts, was seen in Self-Blame (η² = 0.22). FC also decreased significantly, with the largest improvements in FC-for oneself (η² = 0.31) and FC-for others (η² = 0.27). These effects were maintained at the two-month follow-up. Conclusions: Findings support the effectiveness of the IFS in improving trauma-related cognitive and emotional outcomes. Crucially, the change pattern suggests that IFS promotes recovery by first establishing internal self‑leadership and self-compassion, which then gradually generalizes to interpersonal relationships. This provides a promising model for structural trauma recovery in vulnerable youth. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests:	Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing:	Keywords: Adolescents; Fear of compassion; Internal Family Systems; Out-of-home care; Post-traumatic cognitions; Trauma
Entry Date(s):	Date Created: 20260604 Date Completed: 20260701 Latest Revision: 20260713
Update Code:	20260714
DOI:	10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.108140
PMID:	42241954
Βάση Δεδομένων:	MEDLINE

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Περιγραφή
ISSN:	1873-7757
DOI:	10.1016/j.chiabu.2026.108140