Fear and self-blame change first: a commentary on Pouralieghbali et al.‘s “Emotion-focused family therapy with families in Iran: effects on parental fear, self-blame and self-efficacy”

Abstract

Pouralieghbali et al. report a small-scale randomized trial of a two-day group workshop in Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) involving 10 Iranian mothers of adolescents aged 12–17 years. The intervention aimed to reduce parental fear and self-blame while strengthening parenting self-efficacy. The study is important because it extends emotion-based family intervention into a cultural context shaped by strong moral norms and relatively constrained emotional expression within families. Findings indicate significant reductions in fear and self-blame in the EFFT group (d = .77) compared with minimal change in the control group. Parenting self-efficacy improved but did not reach statistical significance. Post hoc analyses also suggested clearer benefits for in-person delivery than for online delivery. This commentary recognizes the study’s clinical contribution while examining limitations related to sample size, imbalance in delivery mode, brief follow-up, measurement, cultural interpretation, and the absence of fathers. It also proposes priorities for stronger future EFFT research and implementation across comparable family settings.