Impact of dialectic behavior therapy and assertiveness training on mental health of socially stressed senior secondary students

Abstract

Social stress from substance abuse is common and worrisome, especially among adolescents. Therefore, this study examined “Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Assertiveness Training” in the management of mental health problems of high school seniors who abuse substances. In the resADDREearch, quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design were used. The research was conducted with 75 students using the multi-stage sampling method. Tools used to collect data are Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Family/Friend Issue, Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale, and Social Phobia Inventory. Two research questions were raised, and two research hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that there was a significant difference in the psychosocial problems of adolescents in high school seniors as a result of the interventions, but dialectical behavioral Therapy had a greater effect in reducing adolescents’ social stress, although both treatments had significant effects. Based on the findings, it was recommended that assertiveness education be added to the secondary school curriculum to reduce the incidence of substance abuse.

Keywords: Mental health, substance abuse, dialectic behavior therapy, assertiveness training.