Iranian Association for Intelligence and Talent Studies International Journal of Education and Cognitive Sciences 3041-8828 7 July 2026 2026 07 01 The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Transdiagnostic Therapy on Cognitive Avoidance and Psychological Hardiness in Mothers with the Experience of Child Loss The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Transdiagnostic Therapy on Cognitive Avoidance and Psychological Hardiness in Mothers with the Experience of Child Loss 1 12 EN Journal Article 2026 01 01 <p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of emotion-focused transdiagnostic therapy in reducing cognitive avoidance and increasing psychological hardiness in bereaved mothers.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>In terms of purpose, this was an applied study, and in terms of implementation, it was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest–posttest control-group design and a two-month follow-up phase. The statistical population included all mothers with the experience of child loss residing in Tehran in 2025 who had referred to counseling centers, psychotherapy clinics, health centers, and grief-related support associations. Using purposive and convenience sampling, 30 individuals who met the inclusion criteria were selected and, after providing informed consent, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (15 participants) and a control group (15 participants). The experimental group received emotion-focused transdiagnostic therapy in twelve weekly 60-minute sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. The research instruments included the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (Sexton &amp; Dugas, 2008) and the Psychological Hardiness Scale (Kobasa, 1979), which were administered at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and SPSS version 27.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results showed that emotion-focused transdiagnostic therapy significantly reduced cognitive avoidance and increased psychological hardiness in the experimental group (p &lt; .001). Moreover, the effectiveness of the therapy was maintained at the follow-up stage, and the difference between the posttest and follow-up scores was not significant.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Emotion-focused transdiagnostic therapy can be an effective approach for improving emotional adjustment in bereaved mothers by reducing cognitive avoidance and strengthening psychological hardiness. It is recommended that this therapeutic model be used in grief-related supportive and clinical programs.</p> https://journalecs.com/index.php/ecs/article/download/365/427