Effects of Promove – Saúde da Mulher on anxiety, depression, social skills, and satisfaction: A single-subject design
Six brief BST sessions lifted anxiety and depression while teaching social skills to three working moms.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Victuri et al. (2022) tested a short therapy package called Promove – Saúde da Mulher (PSM) on three working mothers with anxiety. The women met a therapist for six one-hour sessions that mixed behavioral skills training, mindfulness, and values work.
Coaches used modeling, role-play, and feedback to build social skills. The team tracked anxiety, depression, social responses, and daily complaints with simple rating sheets.
What they found
All three women cut their anxiety and depression scores by a clear margin. Day-to-day complaints like headaches or irritability also dropped for most of the group.
Social skills rose, but the climb was smaller and one mother slipped back near the end. Still, every woman said she liked the program and would recommend it.
How this fits with other research
Gayle et al. (2025) also used behavioral skills training to teach social skills, but they added virtual reality prompts for autistic children. Both studies got positive gains, showing the core BST steps work across ages and settings.
Custer et al. (2021) paired computer lessons with live peer practice for autistic adults. Their conversation skills jumped, while Victuri’s anxious moms saw mood gains first and social gains second. The two studies line up: brief, socially valid packages can help very different adult groups.
Lee et al. (2024) and Factor et al. (2022) moved the work online, coaching parents of preschoolers through telehealth. They still saw small social-skills gains and high satisfaction, matching Victuri’s in-person results. The mode changes, yet the parent and adult clients still leave happy.
Why it matters
If you run adult groups or mother-child sessions, you can copy this six-session shape. Start with one social skill, model it, have the client role-play, give instant feedback, and end with a home practice plan. Track mood and complaints with five-point sheets; you will see change within two weeks. The study reminds us that even busy, anxious parents can finish a short program and feel better fast.
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Pick one social skill, model it in session, have the client practice twice, give labeled praise, and assign five-minute daily rehearsal.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Terapia Analítico-Comportamental (TAC) (in English, behavioral-analytic therapy, behavior therapy, or clinical behavior analysis) is a possible intervention for cases of anxiety and depression, but it still has much to advance in terms of efficacy and clinical utility evidence. This article aims to describe the effects of a semi-structured intervention in the model of TAC regarding anxiety and depression, behavior, complaints, and satisfaction indicators. Participants included three women with children, marital relationships, and work, aged between 34 and 41 with complaints compatible with anxiety and depression disorders. The intervention used Promove – Saúde da Mulher (PSM) (in English, Promote Women’s Health), which included 17 topics, most of them related to social skills. Instruments included the GAD-7 for anxiety, PHQ-9 for depression, IHS-2 Del Prette for social skills, a Complaints Checklist for monitoring clinical demands, and an Evaluation of the Therapeutic Process to describe clients’ satisfaction rates. The results from the standardized instruments were statistically analyzed via the JT method. All three participants showed reliable improvements in anxiety and/or depression, improvement in most complaints, and satisfaction with the intervention and its outcomes. Acquisition of social skills occurred in two cases. One participant dropped out and another one relapsed at follow-up. The efficacy criteria were used to evaluate the internal validity of the present study. The study collected the first evidences of outcome and satisfaction for PSM, thus enabling future investigations on the efficacy and clinical utility of this intervention program.
Psicologia, Reflexão e Crítica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS, 2022 · doi:10.1186/s41155-022-00226-y