Ranking Empowerment Mechanisms in Group Therapy for Women

Objective: This study aimed to identify and rank the key empowerment mechanisms that emerge in group therapy for women through a mixed-method approach combining qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative prioritization. Methods and Materials: A sequential exploratory mixed-methods design was adopted. The first phase consisted of a qualitative literature-based thematic analysis using NVivo 14 to identify empowerment mechanisms from 68 peer-reviewed studies until theoretical saturation was achieved. Six main themes emerged: intrapersonal awareness and self-discovery, interpersonal connection and support, agency and decision-making power, cognitive and emotional regulation skills, collective empowerment and social identity, and transformative change and growth. The second phase involved quantitative ranking using SPSS 26. A structured questionnaire developed from the qualitative findings was distributed to 231 women participants from the United States who had attended group therapy sessions. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance (W) to determine the degree of agreement among participants. Findings: Results indicated a high level of consensus among participants (Kendall’s W = 0.83, p < 0.001). The mean ranking revealed that intrapersonal awareness and self-discovery (M = 4.58, SD = 0.41) was the most significant empowerment mechanism, followed by interpersonal connection and support (M = 4.47, SD = 0.44) and agency and decision-making power (M = 4.35, SD = 0.52). Lower-ranked mechanisms included cognitive and emotional regulation skills (M = 4.29, SD = 0.48), collective empowerment and social identity (M = 4.18, SD = 0.55), and transformative change and growth (M = 4.11, SD = 0.61). Conclusion: The study concludes that empowerment in group therapy for women is a progressive process beginning with intrapersonal awareness and extending toward social identity and transformation.