Effectiveness of optimism group training in the reduction of depression and social anxiety in students with mobility/physical disabilities Download PDF

Background and Objective: there is a high prevalence of psychological problems among students with mobility/physical disabilities; therefore, the goal of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of optimism group training in the reduction of depression and anxiety in this group. Methods: this was a quasi-experimental study with pretest/posttest design, control group, and a 3-month follow up. The statistical population included all middle and high school students of Tehran’s educational centers for boys with mobility/physical disabilities, in the school year 2015-2016. The study sample consisted of 18 students, who were selected using a purposeful sampling method, and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (9 participants in each group). The experimental group received optimism training for 10, 1-hour sessions. The scores on the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II) before and after applying the intervention were compared. Results: According to the study results, optimism group training had a significant effect on the reduction of depression (p>.05). There were also significant effects on two subscales of social anxiety, the physiologic and avoidance subscales, but no significant effect was found on the fear subscale. Conclusion: it can be concluded that optimism training is effective in reducing depression and social anxiety in students with mobility/physical disabilities; therefore, it can be used in psychological and counseling interventions designed for this group.