REINFORCEMENT OF POSITIVE SOCIAL BEHAVIORS IN FEMALE STUDENTS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION
Mahin Nazari, Zahra Pakizehpour, Mohammad Hossein Kaveh and Sareh keshavarzi
University of Medical Sciences, Iran
: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: World Health Organization (WHO) has defined health as complete physical, mental, and social welfare rather than mere absence of diseases. Based on this definition, social health is one of the main dimensions of health. The effective factors in social health include building correct relationship with others and having social skills. Following adolescence appropriate behavioral patterns plays a key role in bringing about the adolescents’ positive social behavior. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of educational intervention on positive social behaviors. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: This quasi-experimental controlled study with pre/posttest design was conducted on 239 students in the first grade of high school selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. The participants were divided into an intervention (n=123) and a control (n=116) group. The study data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were gathered through self-report before and one week and two months after the intervention. Then, they were entered into the SPSS statistical software, version 19 . The intervention group took part in four educational session each lasting for 45 minutes. Findings: In the pretest, the mean score of social behaviors was 62.09+7.92 in the intervention group and 62.05+8.33 in the control group. In the intervention group, the mean score of this construct increased to 63.13+7.52 in the first posttest and to 63.57+7.70 in the second one. In the control group, however, the mean score of personal norms slightly increased to 62.25+8.98 in the first posttest, but decreased to 61.03+10.28 in the second one. Conclusion & Significance: The results of our study revealed an increase in the mean score of social behavior in the intervention group compared to the control group in the first and second posttests. This study revealed that adolescents need educational programs on the subject of social behavior.
Biography
