Soolmaz Dehghanidowlatabadi

Research

Psychological flexibility, perfectionism, uncertainty and wellbeing, in individuals, couples and families.

Research programme

Her research asks how people stay open, engaged and well when they face uncertainty, demanding personal standards and strain in close relationships. Across several studies, psychological flexibility, a core process in the acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) framework, is examined as a moderator of these links.

Interests

  • Psychological flexibility, within the ACT framework
  • Perfectionism, including appearance-related perfectionism and social appearance anxiety
  • Intolerance of uncertainty, depressive symptoms and wellbeing
  • Marital and family processes: conflict, intimacy needs and quality of life
  • Mindfulness-, acceptance- and schema-based approaches

She also has a growing interest in compassion-focused approaches, digital mental health and women’s health, including IVF and the perinatal period.

Samples

Her studies include adults, individuals in couples, adolescents (including a three-wave longitudinal school study) and women undergoing IVF.

Methods

Her methodological contribution lies in research design, theory and interpretation of quantitative methodology. She is a co-author on studies applying structural equation modelling, confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup analysis, and has formal training in structural equation modelling (Universiti Putra Malaysia, Alzahra University).

International collaboration

Her publications include international co-authorship across Malaysia, India, Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt.

Most recent research appointment

Researcher (Remote), Strategic Research Institute (SRI), Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), Kuala Lumpur. January to June 2026.

Education

  • PhD in Counselling, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran. 2022 to 2026.
  • MA in Family Counselling, University of Tehran. 2019 to 2021.
  • MSc in System and Productivity Management, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran. 2013.

An interdisciplinary background

Alongside psychology, she holds an MSc in System and Productivity Management from a school of engineering. This combination of psychology with an engineering and management background gives her work a practical grounding in project design, coordination and evaluation.