Background and Aim: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of habit reversal techniques and emotion-deprived schema therapy on the moral intelligence of street children. The research design was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group study. Methods: The study population consisted of all street children aged 7-11 years old in Zahedan city in 2025, from which 60 participants were randomly selected using simple random sampling and assigned to two intervention groups and one control group. The first intervention group received habit reversal techniques in the form of 8 sessions, and the second intervention group received emotion-deprived schema therapy in the form of 8 sessions, each week for 90 minutes, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The research tools included the moral intelligence questionnaire by Lenik and Wilke. Data were analyzed using covariance and variance analysis in SPSS26 software. Results: The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the moral intelligence variable. The post-test mean of the habit reversal techniques group (66.73) was higher than the post-test mean of the emotion-deprived schema therapy group (64.08). (F = 36.55, P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the research findings, by identifying and comparing the effectiveness of two different therapeutic approaches, the most effective method for increasing moral intelligence in street children can be determined, and a step towards improving their empathy, accountability, and justice can be taken.