Comparing the effectiveness of hope therapy and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy on depression and anxiety in female students

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of hope therapy and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy on depression and anxiety in first and second year female high school students in Khorramabad city.

Method: This study was a multi-group quasi-experimental study. The statistical population of the study included all first and second year female high school students in the academic year 2017-2018, totaling 18,875 people. Using a non-random sampling method, the sample group was divided into two groups of 30 people. After the pre-test, one of the experimental groups was exposed to 8 1.30-hour sessions of hope therapy based on the treatment protocol of the book Psychology of Hope (Bahari, 2018) and the second experimental group was exposed to 10 1.30-hour sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy based on the book Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Education (Ghasimzadeh and Hamidpour, 2018). Finally, the post-test was administered to all groups. Beck Depression Inventory and Cattell Anxiety Inventory were used to collect data. Univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance tests were used to analyze the data.

Findings: The findings showed that hope therapy and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy are effective on depression and anxiety of students. It was also observed that the effect size of hope therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy on reducing depression and anxiety of female students was 19 and 18 percent, respectively. Also, there was a difference between the effectiveness of hope therapy and cognitive behavioral psychotherapy on depression and anxiety of female students, and hope therapy was more effective than cognitive behavioral therapy in reducing depression and anxiety. (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it can be said that both treatment methods have played an effective role in improving depression and anxiety of female students.