A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Behavioral Activation Therapy and Stress Inoculation Training on Academic Emotions and Social Problem-Solving of Students with Social Anxiety

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of behavioral activation therapy and stress inoculation training on academic emotions and social problem-solving of students with high social anxiety. The research design was a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and two-month follow-up, including a control group. The statistical population consisted of all 15 to 18-year-old students with social anxiety in Isfahan during the academic years 1400 and 1401. Through random sampling from the six educational districts of Isfahan, District 2 was selected, and eight high schools were randomly selected through multistage sampling. The Pakravan et al. (2002) Academic Emotion Questionnaire and the Dehghani et al. (2002) Social Problem-Solving Questionnaire were used as measurement tools, which were completed by the control and experimental groups before and after the intervention. Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS-24 software. The results showed that behavioral activation therapy had a stronger efficacy than stress inoculation training in improving social problem-solving and academic emotions of students aged 15 to 18 with social anxiety (p < 0.01). The effects of the interventions remained constant over time. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that behavioral activation therapy can be employed as a therapeutic intervention for enhancing social problem-solving and academic emotions in adolescents with social anxiety.