Comparison Group Therapy of Positive Psychotherapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Efficacy on Adolescents' Psychological Capital with Depression Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy on psychological capital in adolescents with depression symptoms. The research was a quasi-experiment with a pre-test and post-test method and control group. The sample included 51 adolescents aged 15 to 17 years old with depressive symptoms. They were referred to counseling and psychology centers and psychiatric clinics in Sari during the first six months of 2017. They were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (17 people in each group). Children Depression Inventory (CDI), Conner – Davidson Resilience scale, Snyder Hope scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised, and General Self – Efficacy Scale, was used in pre and post-test. The positive psychotherapy experimental group received treatment during ten sessions, and the cognitive-behavioral therapy experimental group received during eight sessions. The multivariate covariance analysis results showed that positive psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy significantly affected psychological capital. But the efficacy of positive psychotherapy in increasing the hope component was more than cognitive-behavioral therapy. Also, there was a significant difference between the two interventional groups and the control group on psychological capital. Positive psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy effectively increased psychological capital because of their emphasis on different psychological aspects. On the other hand, positive psychotherapy was probably more effective than cognitive-behavioral therapy through enhancing social interactions and positive emotions and hope training and optimism. Therefore, positive psychotherapy can be used in the clinical interventions by Specialists and especially school counselors to improve students' mental health.