Background and objectives: Spousal abuse, also known as domestic violence, can impose negative psychological effects on women, including a decline in psychological well-being and optimism. Hence, development of capabilities such as happiness can be helpful in coping with these outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of happiness training on the psychological well-being and optimism of pregnant women with a history of spousal abuse.
Methods: In this semi-experimental study (with a pretest and posttest design), 30 pregnant women who were referred to health centers of Gorgan (Iran) in 2015 were selected via non-random sampling. The subjects were randomly divided into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group received 10 sessions of happiness training, but the control group received no training. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Ryff's psychological well-being scale and an optimism questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the SPSS software (version 16) and descriptive and inferential statistics at significance level of 0.05.
Results: The happiness training significantly increased the level of psychological well-being and optimism. There was a significant difference in the mean score of psychological well-being and optimism between the two groups (P-value= 0.001)
Conclusion:  The findings show that happiness training significantly improves happiness and psychological well-being in women with a history of domestic violence. We recommend performing future studies with a larger study population and short- and long-term follow-ups to evaluate the effectiveness of such training over time.