The Effect of Emotion-Focused Processing Strategies Training on Perceived Stress and Aggression of Male Students with Conduct Disorder

In childhood, psychological factors contribute to the development of some problems such as behavioral disorders. This study aimed to determine the effect of teaching emotion-based processing strategies on perceived stress and aggression of male students with conduct disorder in Zahedan in 2019.

The present study was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this study included all children aged 7 to 8 years with behavioral disorders at Zahedan Correctional Center in 2018. The research sample included 30 people who were selected by simple random sampling method and were randomly divided into an experimental group (15 people) and a control groups (15 people). Questionnaires for collecting data from the sample group included Cohen's perceived stress scale (1983) scale, Comark and Marmelstein (1983), and Bass and Perry's aggression questionnaire (1992). Both groups underwent perceived stress test and aggression test. Then 8 sessions of emotion processing training (one session per week for two hours) were held for the experimental group. The control group did not receive any training. For statistical analysis of the data, covariance analysis was conducted using SPSS-23 software.

Mean and standard deviation of perceived stress variable in the experimental group was 33.13 + 5.91 in the pre-test and 19.73 + 6.36 in the post-test, and in the control group it was 20.29 + 9.33 in the pre-test and 29.13 + 8.32 in the post-test. The mean and standard deviation of the aggression variable of the experimental group was 99.86 + 11.06 in the pre-test and 66.20 + 12.67 in the post-test, and in the control group, it was 99.13 + 11.86 in the pre-test and 97.73 + 11.54 in the post-test. The results also showed that teaching emotion-based processing strategies reduced cognitive stress and aggression (p<0.01).

Since the training of emotion processing strategies has reduced perceived stress and aggression in boys, this intervention is recommended to reduce children behavior disorders.