EZE, Sylvester Ezechinyere and Covenant University, Theses (2024) EFFICACY OF BRIEF COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY AND PSYCHOEDUCATION ON PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN OYO-EAST, OYO STATE, NIGERIA. ["eprint_fieldopt_thesis_type_phd" not defined] thesis, Covenant University.
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Abstract
Psychological distress refers to a state of emotional suffering or discomfort, typically marked by symptoms of depression and stress, with anxiety being the most prevalent mental health problem commonly experienced by adolescents. Despite these symptoms and their associated negative outcomes, such as suicide, adult mental disorders, health loss, and disability, there is a paucity of evidence-based psychological treatments, especially in low-income countries with high rates of adolescent psychological distress. Previous studies have focused on cognitive-behavioural therapy and treated psychoeducation as an adjunct treatment. This study investigated the prevalence of psychological distress and examined the efficacy of brief cognitive-behavioural therapy and psychoeducation as mono-therapy in reducing psychological distress symptoms among adolescents. Adopting a survey design and the pre-test post-test control group experimental design, data were obtained from four secondary schools in the Oyo-East Local Government Area by administering a study questionnaire comprising age, gender, family type, parents' marital status, school class, perceived social support, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). A total of 465 participants—238 males (51.2%) and 227 females (48.8%) with a mean age of 13.28 (SD = 1.89)—were involved in the study's first phase. Using the ballot technique, 72 participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (A, B) and a control group (C) with 24 participants per group. Given the psychological distress mean score of 30.62 (SD = 21.3) and above as the cut-off point, 6 participants from each of the four schools were matched in each of the study groups in the second phase of the study. A prevalence rate of 51.61% was revealed among the participants using DASS-21 as a measure of psychological distress symptoms. Utilizing SPSSv23, the study found that age, female gender, polygamous family type, parents' marital status (divorced), school class, and perceived social support significantly contributed to psychological distress among adolescents {R = 0.273, R² = 0.075, F(6, 456) = 6.13, p < 0.05}. The study further revealed that after participants in experimental group B received psychoeducation treatment for six weeks, there was a significant reduction in psychological distress symptoms (t(22) = 8.77, p < 0.05). Also, after a six-week exposure period, brief cognitive-behavioural therapy treatment was found to be significantly effective in reducing psychological distress symptoms (t (20) = 6.94, p < 0.05). Additionally, psychoeducation and brief cognitive-behavioural therapy were both equally effective after exposing psychologically distressed participants to the same number of treatment sessions. After a one-month follow-up period, the treatment effects of psychoeducation and brief cognitive-behavioural therapy were maintained with an effect size of 0.24 (r = 0.60). Findings from this study revealed an obvious increase in the number of adolescents suffering from psychological distress. Adopting psychoeducation as mono-therapy and brief cognitive-behaviour therapy in schools would reduce distress prevalence and prevent further vulnerability among adolescents. Schools may endeavour to incorporate psychoeducation and brief cognitive-behavioural skills into the curriculum. Further studies may require investigating prevalence among non-rural resident adolescents and considering a longer follow-up period to ascertain the efficacy of psychoeducation treatment.
| Item Type: | Thesis (["eprint_fieldopt_thesis_type_phd" not defined]) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Adolescents, cognitive behaviour therapy, psychoeducation, psychological distress Word count: 495 |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Humanities |
| Depositing User: | nwokealisi |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Oct 2024 09:23 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Oct 2024 09:23 |
| URI: | http://eprints.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/id/eprint/18506 |
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