The effectiveness of a counseling program based on behavioral cognitive approach in reducing the severity of depression and improving the sense of self-esteem of a sample of adolescents in the northwestern Badia district

Abstract

This study aimed to confirm the effectiveness of a group-counseling program based on behavioral cognitive approach in reducing the severity of depression and improving the sense of self-esteem among a sample of adolescents in the northwestern Badia district. The participants of the study consisted of thirty (30) student aging 12-14years. They are enrolled in the seventh and eighth grades in one of the schools affiliated with the Northwestern Badia Brigade in the Mafraq region. Among 130 students, they volunteered to participate in the pilot program after obtaining high marks on the Kovacs scale for child and adolescent depression and the self-esteem scale during the first semester of the academic year 2019/2020. The study participants were randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The participants in the experimental group (15 students) underwent a pilot program consisting of 10 sessions, while their counterparts in the control group (15 students) were not enrolled in any training. The results of the multivariance analysis showed that there are statistically significant differences on the scale of depression between the two study groups in favor of the experimental group in relation to the overall score of the scale. There is also a statistically significant difference on the scale of self-esteem between the two study groups and in favor of the experimental group, which indicates the efficiency of the indicative program in reducing the depression severity and improving self-esteem feelings. The study recommended the importance of applying the Counseling Programs that are based on the Behavioral Cognitive Approach in Reducing Depression symptoms and low Self-esteem among adolescent students.