Giving Women Their Voice Back: The Impact of a Compassionate Mind Program on Self-Silencing and Anger

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology Vol.7 Issue.3

Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.25.3.03

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

Giving Women Their Voice Back: The Impact of a Compassionate Mind Program on           Self-Silencing and Anger

Kadının Sesini Geri Vermek: Şefkatli Zihin Programının Kendini Susturma ve Öfke Üzerine Etkisi

Bahar Akoğlu¹

Abstract:

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a Compassionate Mind Program in reducing self-silencing and anger levels in women exposed to violence. The study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest, a posttest, and a control group, and the sample consisted of 40 women aged between 24 and 55. The Silencing the Self Scale, and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory were administered before and after the intervention. While the experimental group received a Compassionate Mind Program consisting of 90-minute weekly sessions for 10 weeks, the control group received psychoeducation. Data were analyzed using 2×2 mixed ANOVA, and the results showed that the experimental group demonstrated significant reductions in all subscales of self-silencing, as well as in levels of trait anger and suppressing anger inward. The findings indicated that interventions aimed at enhancing self-compassion can be an effective method for coping with anger in women exposed to violence. They significantly reduce internal processes such as trait anger and suppressing anger and help decrease self-silencing tendencies. Accordingly, the Compassionate Mind Program appears to be an effective intervention specifically for addressing suppressed emotional patterns. At the same time, the findings suggest that the current program may also be a potentially suitable intervention for strengthening women’s self-concept and enhancing their self-expression skills. In today’s context, for healing at both the individual and societal levels, it is important to expand longer-term psychoeducational practices and structured psychological support programs that contribute to transforming silence and preventing the suppression of emotions, considering their positive effects.

Keywords: Women, Violence, Self-Silencing, Anger, Self-Compassion, Compassion-Focused intervention.

¹Asst. Prof. Dr., Istanbul Nisantasi University, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, Istanbul, Türkiye, Orcid Id: 0000-0002-1457-2531

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Bahar Akoğlu, Istanbul Nisantasi University, Maslak District, Taşyoncası Street, No: 1V and No:1Y, 34485, Sariyer, Istanbul, Türkiye, E-mail: [email protected]

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 05.02.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 04.08.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 05.08.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 22.09.2025

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Akoğlu, B. (2025). Giving Women Their Voice Back: The Impact of a Compassionate Mind Program on Self-Silencing and Anger. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 7(3), 245-252.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/