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The effect of group cognitive behavior therapy on aggression, social adjustment, and and peer interaction in male elementary school students
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Narjes Taslimi    , Saeid Yazdi-Ravandi * |
| Behavioral Disorders and Substance Abuse Research Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran , yazdiravandi@umsha.ac.ir |
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| Keywords: cognitive therapy, aggression, social adjustment, social interaction, male, students, school |
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Full-Text [PDF 1910 kb]
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| Abstract (HTML) (167 Views)
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Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Military Psychiatry
Received: 2025/02/3 | Revised: 2025/03/15 | Accepted: 2025/03/16 | Published: 2025/04/5
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Extended Abstract: (35 Views) |
Introduction
Children are the future hopes and assets of society. The unique role this group plays in the growth, development, and progress of a country is well recognized. Given that a large number of children and teenagers attend schools, achieving educational goals becomes challenging when inconsistencies and behavioral problems arise. One behavioral problem with alarmingly high prevalence is aggression. Uncontrolled anger often leads to aggression and incompatibility [1].
Adaptability is considered a key characteristic that fundamentally supports both mental and physical health. It is a psychological process through which individuals cope with desires and challenges, managing daily life problems or bringing them under control. Low levels of social adaptability in students who face difficulties in social interactions often result in problems communicating with others, negatively impacting social relationships and self-empowerment. There is concern that these issues contribute to social, psychological, and academic problems in students. Self-empowerment plays a critical role in confronting these challenges. Many discussions emphasize that schools have an important role in students’ cognitive and social development.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on aggression, social adjustment, and peer interaction in male elementary school students.
Methods
This semi-experimental study employed a pre-test-post-test design. The research sample consisted of 30 male students in grades five and six from a School in Fasa city during the 2023-2024 academic year.
The participants were selected based on availability, ethical considerations, and the informed consent. The students was randomly divided into two groups: 15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group.
Participants completed the following measurement tools before and after the intervention:
Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ): Originally containing 52 questions, this scale was refined to 29 items via factor analysis, assessing four components of aggression: physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility, as well as overall aggression levels [12].
Bell's Emotional Adjustment Questionnaire (1961): With 160 questions covering social, emotional, health, family, and occupational adjustment, this study used the emotional adjustment subscale [13].
Hudson Peer Interaction Questionnaire (IPR): Developed by Wabater Debilo Hudson in 1992, this 25-item scale evaluates peer relationships and participation [14].
CBT is an effective and scientifically validated treatment. Its dual cognitive-behavioral approach has demonstrated high efficacy for participants [16]. In this study, CBT techniques were delivered over thirteen 60-minute group sessions, following the protocol used by Zarei et al. [17].
After sampling, the control group received no training. The experimental group participated in CBT group sessions twice weekly, each lasting 60 minutes, for 13 sessions. Post-tests were conducted for both groups. The research took place from early November to late December 2023.
Results
The control group’s average social adjustment score was 15.98 in the pre-test and 16.06 post-test. The experimental group’s social adjustment score decreased from 16.81 to 12.53. Aggression scores in the control group dropped from 80.33 to 79.73, while in the experimental group they decreased significantly from 79.01 to 63.80. Peer relationship scores in the control group slightly decreased from 76.13 to 75.62, whereas in the experimental group they dropped from 76.47 to 58.39.
Covariance analysis showed significant effects of CBT on all dependent variables:
Social Adjustment: (p < 0.001, F = 19.17), with CBT explaining 43% of variance. Aggression: (p < 0.001, F = 21.18), with 45% of variance explained by CBT. Peer Relationships: (p < 0.001, F = 37.76), with 60% effect size.
Discussion and Conclusion
This study demonstrated that CBT significantly reduces aggression, improves social adjustment, and enhances peer relationships among male elementary school students. CBT helps children regulate emotions better and select peaceful conflict resolution strategies instead of aggressive responses. Participants notably improved their social skills, communication abilities, and self-confidence, making them more comfortable and adaptable in social settings [1821]. Overall, CBT’s focus on modifying cognitive and behavioral patterns supports children’s developmental growth and promotes positive social engagement within school environments.
Ethical Considerations
This research adhered to ethical standards including: obtaining research permission from the relevant university and coordinating with the Fasa Education Organization, ensuring confidentiality of questionnaire data, receiving informed consent from students and their parents, and making the final results available to participants upon request.
Approval for the research protocol was granted by the Research Ethics Committees of Islamic Azad University-Hamedan Branch, under the ethical code IR.IAU.H.REC.1403.047.
Funding
There is no funding support.
Authors’ Contribution
The first author performed data collection and study execution as part of her clinical psychology master’s thesis. The second author is responsible for initial design, study guidance, expert advice, and editing. Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work.
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful for the support of Fasa city education authorities and the staff at Shahid Hekmat Kamal School, as well as the cooperation of all research participants.
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Ethics code: IR.IAU.H.REC.1403.047
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