The efficacy of optimism group therapy on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress of adolescent girls of divorced families

Abstract

Recent estimates have shown that approximately one million children annually experience the divorce of their parents and many of the studies on divorce likewise signify that children of divorced parents are at a greater risk of psychological, behavioral, and educational problems.Objectives: Therefore, The present investigation was carried out to study the effectiveness of optimismgroup intervention on psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, and stress) of adolescent girls of divorced families in line withthe concept of attribution style. Method: The participants were 30 middle school students of Isfahan city. In order to select the sample, cluster random sampling was usedinitially and one district (cluster) was selected among 5 educational districts of Isfahanand one school was chosen out of this district. Subsequently, available sampling method was utilized for selectingtheparticipants. 15 participants were placed in experimental group which were alike the control groupin respect of gender, age, and school and they filled out the scale of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS-42) prior to and following the intervention. Data were analyzed by making use of Covariance analysis (MANCOVA) of SPSS 16. Results:The results of Covariance analysis demonstrated that totally teaching optimism has a meaningful effect on the degree of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms of adolescent girls in post-test and follow up stage (P<0.05). Conclusion: Teaching optimism incurs the decrease of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms of adolescent girls. © 2014 AENSI Publisher All rights reserved.