THE EFFECT OF A HOPE THERAPY APPROACH ON THE FAMILY FUNCTIONING OF WIVES OF ADDICTED MEN

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of hope therapy on the family functions of wives of addicted men. The method used in this study is a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and a post-test. The sample included all wives of drug addicts who had applied to participate in group meetings based on a hope approach. The sample consisted of 30 women married to drug addicts who were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The dependent variable in this study, family functioning, was assessed using the Family Assessment Device. The independent variable was hope therapy education which was implemented in eight sessions on the experimental group. In order to test the hypotheses, an ANOVA and a t-test were run. The results showed that hope therapy improved family functioning and its components including problem solving, communication, roles, emotional responsiveness, emotional behavior and participation of women in family and its rate increased. In short, the distinguishing features of this study, include the use of hope therapy, the advantage and benefit of using several methods and hope psychotherapy (cognitive styles - behavioral therapy, solution-focused, motivation and narrative therapy) findings explain they do. The findings emphasize the importance of educating families affected by addiction.