Therapeutic comparison in psychological capital

Abstract

AimThis study aimed to investigate and compare the therapeutic outcomes of psychological capital between narrative therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and play therapy in the context of hikikomori.MethodsThis study included 502 hikikomori. Correlation analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between the three forms of therapy and psychological capital, while one-way ANOVA and independent samples t-tests were performed to determine the differences in the outcomes of psychological capital between the three forms of therapies.ResultsResults indicated that all three forms of therapy were significantly positively related to psychological capital. Moreover, while cognitive-behavioral therapy performed better in psychological capital (overall score) than the other two, cognitive-behavioral therapy performed better in the subscales “self-efficacy” and “resilience,” while narrative therapy performed better in the “hope” and “optimism” subscales. Also, combining features of play therapy helped enhance the outcomes of narrative therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy on psychological capital.ConclusionOwing to the varied outcomes of psychological capital among different therapies, the differential use of therapies to deal with the unique needs resultant of hikikomori helps achieve optimal results.