A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Storytelling Therapy and Painting-Based Art Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety and Enhancing Resilience among Children of Divorce Aged 10–12 Years
Children of divorce are at an increased risk of experiencing various psychological problems, particularly social anxiety and reduced resilience, highlighting the need for effective therapeutic interventions. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the effects of storytelling therapy and painting-based art therapy on reducing social anxiety and enhancing resilience among children of divorce aged 10–12 years. This study employed a quasi-experimental design using a pretest–posttest approach with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all male and female children of divorce aged 10–12 years enrolled in schools in Zarand during the 2024–2025 academic year. From this population, 45 children who obtained the lowest scores on the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (Ungar & Liebenberg, 2009) and the highest scores on Connor’s (2004) Social Anxiety Inventory, and who consented to participate in the study, were selected and randomly assigned to three groups of 15 participants each. Experimental Group 1 received storytelling therapy, Experimental Group 2 received painting-based art therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc test in SPSS version 25. The findings revealed that both storytelling therapy and painting-based art therapy significantly reduced social anxiety and enhanced resilience, with effect sizes of 0.808 and 0.679, respectively. No significant difference was found between the two interventions in reducing social anxiety. However, painting-based art therapy was significantly more effective than storytelling therapy in improving resilience. Overall, while both interventions were equally effective in alleviating social anxiety, painting-based art therapy demonstrated superior effectiveness in enhancing resilience, suggesting that it may be a more appropriate intervention when strengthening resilience is the primary therapeutic objective for children of divorce.
Taghizadeh, M. H. , Goharriz, M. H. and Qaderi, A. (2026). A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Storytelling Therapy and Painting-Based Art Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety and Enhancing Resilience among Children of Divorce Aged 10–12 Years. Creative and Effective Education, 1(4), 111-131. doi: 10.22111/cee.2026.55215.1024
MLA
Taghizadeh, M. H. , , Goharriz, M. H. , and Qaderi, A. . "A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Storytelling Therapy and Painting-Based Art Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety and Enhancing Resilience among Children of Divorce Aged 10–12 Years", Creative and Effective Education, 1, 4, 2026, 111-131. doi: 10.22111/cee.2026.55215.1024
HARVARD
Taghizadeh, M. H., Goharriz, M. H., Qaderi, A. (2026). 'A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Storytelling Therapy and Painting-Based Art Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety and Enhancing Resilience among Children of Divorce Aged 10–12 Years', Creative and Effective Education, 1(4), pp. 111-131. doi: 10.22111/cee.2026.55215.1024
CHICAGO
M. H. Taghizadeh , M. H. Goharriz and A. Qaderi, "A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Storytelling Therapy and Painting-Based Art Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety and Enhancing Resilience among Children of Divorce Aged 10–12 Years," Creative and Effective Education, 1 4 (2026): 111-131, doi: 10.22111/cee.2026.55215.1024
VANCOUVER
Taghizadeh, M. H., Goharriz, M. H., Qaderi, A. A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Storytelling Therapy and Painting-Based Art Therapy in Reducing Social Anxiety and Enhancing Resilience among Children of Divorce Aged 10–12 Years. Creative and Effective Education, 2026; 1(4): 111-131. doi: 10.22111/cee.2026.55215.1024
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