Intervention Effect of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Based on Empowerment Theory on Loneliness in Obese Children

Abstract

Background: Obesity, one of the independent risk factors affecting children’s physical and mental health, has become a serious public health problem in the 21st century. Given physical anxiety and other psychological factors, obese children experience negative impact on their mental health and intellectual development from their loneliness, unwillingness to communicate with others, and lack of peer interaction. Therefore, exploring an effective psychological intervention model that can relieve loneliness in obese children is necessary.

Methods: From February to October 2022, a quasi-experimental study was conducted on obese children recruited from communities in Harbin, China. The children recruited were evaluated with the UCLA Loneliness Scale. According to the evaluation results, one hundred and five children were selected and randomly divided into experiment group (52) and control group (53). The experiment group was given an eight-week solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) intervention based on empowerment theory. The control and experiment groups were measured and compared before and after the intervention.

Results: The loneliness score of the experiment group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.001). The self-efficacy score of the experiment group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.001). The subjective well-being score of the experiment group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.001).

Conclusion: SFBT intervention based on empowerment theory has an effective intervention effect on loneliness in obese children and can improve their subjective well-being and self-efficacy. The results of this study provide a new perspective for the intervention on psychological problems in obese children.