The Effectiveness of Adolescent Centered Mindfulness Therapy on Social Competence and Cognitive Fusion of Adolescents with Externalizing Behavioral-Emotional Disorder

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in general psychology, Nayin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Nayin, Iran.

2 Department of Psychology, Nayin Branch, Islamic Azad University, Nayin, Iran.

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of adolescent centered mindfulness therapy on social competence and cognitive fusion of adolescents with externalizing behavioral-emotional disorder. The statistical population included students with externalized behavioral-emotional problems who were studying in the first period of secondary school in the academic year of 2022-2023 in Isfahan city. In this research, 35 students with externalized emotional-behavioral problems were selected by purposeful sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (18 students in the experimental group and 17 students in the control group). The parents of the students in the experimental group received the adolescent focused mindfulness therapy during ten weeks in ten 90-minute sessions. Children and Adolescents Behavioral- Emotional Inventory (CABEA), Social Competence Questionnaire (SCQ) and Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (CFQ) were used in the present study. The data were analyzed through mixed ANOVA via SPSS23 software. The results showed that adolescent centered mindfulness therapy has significant effect on the social competence (p<0001, Eta=0.67, F=68.47) and cognitive fusion (p<0001, Eta= 0.66, F=64.13) in the adolescents with externalizing behavioral-emotional disorder. Based on the findings of the present research, adolescent centered mindfulness therapy can be used as an efficient method to improving social competence and reducing cognitive fusion in adolescents with externalized emotional behavioral using metaphors appropriate to the cognitive level of adolescents as well as applying mindfulness practices in daily behaviors

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