Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS)

The Concept of the Good Life in Education and Its Relationship with Adolescent Well-Being: A Qualitative Study

Sakineh Rastegar Moghadam Ebrahimian ^* iD

Objective: The present study aimed to explore adolescents’ perceptions of the good life in educational contexts and to identify how their lived educational experiences are related to psychological, relational, social, and future-oriented well-being.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Participants were 20 adolescents aged 14–18 years who were studying in secondary schools in Tehran, Iran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation in gender, educational grade, school type, academic achievement, and socioeconomic background. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured individual interviews lasting approximately 45–70 minutes. Interviews explored adolescents’ understandings of the good life, experiences of school, relationships with teachers, peers, and family members, perceptions of autonomy and academic achievement, and expectations for the future. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Data collection continued until saturation was reached. Credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability were addressed through repeated examination of transcripts, member checking, peer review of codes, documentation of analytical decisions, and detailed description of the research process.

Findings: Analysis of participants’ experiences resulted in three major themes: personal flourishing and inner balance, relational belonging and social recognition, and educational agency and hopeful future orientation. Personal flourishing included emotional security, self-acceptance, autonomy, competence, and balance between academic achievement and everyday life. Relational belonging reflected the importance of family support, respectful teacher relationships, peer acceptance, fairness, dignity, and opportunities for social contribution. Educational agency emphasized meaningful learning, student voice and choice, mastery-oriented achievement, a psychologically safe school climate, and hope for attainable future pathways.

Conclusion: Adolescents conceptualized the good life as a multidimensional form of educational flourishing that extends beyond academic success and includes psychological balance, supportive relationships, personal agency, meaningful learning, dignity, and future hope. Educational environments that integrate these dimensions may contribute more effectively to adolescents’ comprehensive well-being and healthy development.

The Effect of Gamification in Physical Education on Motivational Indicators and Perceived Competence among Lower Secondary School Students

Behzad Behzadnia ^* iD , Sameen Ameen Abdullah iD , Mahta Eskandarnejad iD

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of gamification-based physical education on motivational indicators and perceived competence among female lower secondary school students.

Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with an experimental and a control group. The statistical population consisted of seventh-grade female students enrolled in schools in Tabriz, Iran. Using convenience sampling, two intact classes were selected from one school and then randomly assigned to the experimental group (n = 31) and the control group (n = 25). The experimental group participated in eight 90-minute basketball instructional sessions designed according to gamification principles, whereas the control group received the same basketball content through conventional physical education instruction. Data were collected using the Perceived Competence Questionnaire and the Self-Regulation Questionnaire in Physical Education developed by Goudas et al. (1994). The collected data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance in SPSS software to examine changes over time and differences between the two instructional conditions.

Findings: Inferential analyses indicated that gamification produced a significant reduction in external regulation compared with traditional instruction. However, no statistically significant between-group differences were observed for intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, or amotivation. The results also demonstrated a significant improvement in perceived competence among students exposed to the gamified instructional approach, whereas the traditional instructional condition did not produce a comparable improvement. Overall, the inferential findings suggest that gamification exerted selective effects on students' motivational regulation while producing a more evident positive effect on perceived competence.

Conclusion: Gamification appears to be a potentially effective instructional approach for enhancing perceived competence and reducing externally regulated motivation in physical education among female lower secondary school students. Nevertheless, its effects may not extend equally to all dimensions of motivational regulation. Accordingly, incorporating appropriately designed game elements into physical education may contribute to creating more competence-supportive and autonomously engaging learning environments.

Structural Modeling of the Relationship Between Attachment Styles and Expectations of Marriage: The Mediating Role of Gender-Role Orientations Among University Students Approaching Marriage

Parvaneh Alihashemiashtiani iD , Shahnaz Nohi ^* iD , Malake Nasery Fadafan iD , Farzaneh Rahimpour iD

Objective: The present study aimed to develop and test a structural model of the relationships between secure, avoidant, and anxious attachment styles and realistic, pessimistic, and idealistic expectations of marriage, considering masculine and feminine gender-role orientations as mediating variables among university students approaching marriage.

Methods and Materials: This applied study used a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of university students approaching marriage at the Science and Research, Central Tehran, and North Tehran branches of Islamic Azad University during the 2025–2026 academic year. Using convenience sampling, 322 students were selected. Data were collected using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and the Marriage Expectation Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS version 26 through correlation analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrap assessment of indirect effects.

Findings: The proposed structural model showed acceptable fit (χ²/df = 2.25, CFI = .969, TLI = .954, RMSEA = .062, SRMR = .039). Secure attachment positively predicted realistic (β = .29, p < .001) and idealistic expectations (β = .18, p = .001) and negatively predicted pessimistic expectations (β = −.27, p < .001). Avoidant and anxious attachment negatively predicted realistic and idealistic expectations and positively predicted pessimistic expectations (p < .05). Secure attachment positively predicted masculine and feminine orientations, whereas avoidant and anxious attachment negatively predicted both. Masculine and feminine orientations positively predicted realistic and idealistic expectations and negatively predicted pessimistic expectations. Bootstrap analyses indicated significant indirect effects of all attachment styles on each marriage-expectation dimension through both gender-role orientations, supporting partial mediation.

Conclusion: Attachment styles were directly and indirectly associated with distinct expectations of marriage, and masculine and feminine gender-role orientations partially explained these relationships, highlighting the combined contribution of interpersonal attachment patterns and gender-related self-orientations to premarital expectations.

Structural Modeling of Academic Buoyancy Based on Academic Engagement and Perceived Teacher Support: The Mediating Role of Academic Self-Efficacy among Female Upper-Secondary School Students

Masoumeh Vaygani , Arsalan Khanmmohammadi Otaghsara ^* , Rajabali Mohammadzadeh Admolaee

Objective: The present study aimed to test a structural model of academic buoyancy based on academic engagement and perceived teacher support, with the mediating role of academic self-efficacy among female upper-secondary school students.

Methods and Materials: This applied quantitative study used a descriptive-correlational design and structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all female upper-secondary school students in Babol, Iran, during the 2024 academic year. A sample of 350 students was selected through multistage cluster random sampling. Data were collected using the Academic Buoyancy Questionnaire, Academic Engagement Scale, Perceived Teacher Support Scale, and Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS through descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling.

Findings: The proposed structural model showed acceptable fit to the data: χ²/df = 1.45, RMSEA = 0.03, CFI = 0.98, NFI = 0.96, GFI = 0.96, and AGFI = 0.94. Academic engagement had a positive and significant direct effect on academic buoyancy (β = 0.12, p = .02). Perceived teacher support also had a positive and significant direct effect on academic buoyancy (β = 0.17, p = .001). Academic self-efficacy had the strongest direct effect on academic buoyancy (β = 0.32, p = .001). In addition, academic self-efficacy significantly mediated the relationship between academic engagement and academic buoyancy (β = 0.138, p = .001) and the relationship between perceived teacher support and academic buoyancy (β = 0.06, p = .04).

Conclusion: Academic buoyancy among female upper-secondary school students is shaped by behavioral engagement, perceived teacher support, and self-efficacy beliefs. The findings suggest that strengthening students’ engagement in learning, improving supportive teacher-student relationships, and enhancing academic self-efficacy may help students cope more effectively with everyday academic challenges.

Structural Modeling of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptom Level Based on Positive and Negative Metacognitive Beliefs: The Mediating Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty among University Students

Majid Pourpashang iD , Sayed Abbas Haghayegh ^* iD , Sheida Jabalameli iD , Akram Dehghani iD

Objective: The present study aimed to test a structural model of generalized anxiety disorder symptom level based on positive and negative metacognitive beliefs, with the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty among university students.

Methods and Materials: This applied quantitative study used a descriptive-correlational design and structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of students at Islamic Azad University, Najafabad Branch, Iran. An initial sample of 300 students was selected using accessible purposive sampling, and 294 valid questionnaires were included in the final analysis. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Metacognitions Questionnaire, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Questionnaire, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24 and AMOS version 24 through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and structural equation modeling.

Findings: The structural model showed acceptable fit to the data: χ²/df = 1.784, NFI = .999, CFI = 1.00, IFI = 1.00, RMSEA = .057, and Hoelter = 289. Positive metacognitive beliefs did not have a significant direct effect on generalized anxiety disorder symptoms (β = -.036, p = .358), but they had a significant indirect effect through intolerance of uncertainty (β = .016, p = .050). Negative metacognitive beliefs had a positive and significant direct effect on generalized anxiety disorder symptoms (β = .220, p = .011) and also had a significant indirect effect through intolerance of uncertainty (β = .081, p = .050). Intolerance of uncertainty had a positive and significant direct effect on generalized anxiety disorder symptoms (β = .186, p = .019).

Conclusion: The findings support the mediating role of intolerance of uncertainty in the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. Negative metacognitive beliefs appear to be a stronger direct predictor of generalized anxiety symptoms, whereas positive metacognitive beliefs may influence symptoms mainly through intolerance of uncertainty. These results highlight the importance of targeting dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs and intolerance of uncertainty in prevention and intervention programs for university students.

Designing a Qualitative Model of Factors Influencing Academic Competence among Female Secondary School Students: A Thematic Analysis Study Based on Triangulation

Arghavan Asgari iD , Faramarz Asanjarani ^* iD , Mohammad Mehdi Jahangiri iD

Objective: This study aimed to develop a context-sensitive qualitative model of the factors influencing the academic competence of female secondary school students in Arak, Iran, through the triangulation of perspectives from academic experts, experienced teachers, and documentary sources.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed thematic analysis based on Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Participants included 14 academic experts in educational psychology, education, and school counseling and 20 experienced teachers with at least 10 years of successful teaching experience, selected through criterion-based and snowball sampling. In addition, three high-level educational policy documents and 42 credible scientific sources were reviewed. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and document analysis and were coded and analyzed using MAXQDA 2022. The trustworthiness of the findings was established through data-source triangulation and member checking.

Findings: The analysis generated 487 initial codes, 87 preliminary themes, 39 subthemes, 18 main themes, and four overarching dimensions. The individual dimension comprised academic motivation, learning self-regulation, academic self-efficacy, cognitive characteristics, affective-personality characteristics, and mental health. The educational dimension included classroom psychosocial climate, teachers’ instructional styles, curriculum quality, academic assessment, educational facilities and resources, and interpersonal relationships at school. The family dimension encompassed parenting style, family cultural capital, socioeconomic status, family academic support, and parental academic expectations. The social dimension included peer culture, gender stereotypes, media and cyberspace, and community social capital. Learning self-regulation and intrinsic motivation emerged as the most prominent factors. Triangulation indicated that seven main themes were shared across all three data sources, while member checking demonstrated an overall agreement rate of 95.6%.

Conclusion: The proposed model provides a comprehensive indigenous framework for understanding female students’ academic competence by integrating individual, educational, familial, and social determinants.

Design and Validation of a Psychological Empowerment Program for University Students from Divorced Families

Maryam Behbahani iD , Shohreh Ghorban Shiroudi ^* iD , Javad Khalatbari iD

Objective: This study aimed to design and validate a psychological empowerment program grounded in the lived experiences and specific psychosocial needs of university students from divorced families.

Methods and Materials: The study employed a qualitative developmental design. Participants included 15 dentistry students from divorced families, aged 19–28 years, who were selected through purposive sampling, with recruitment continuing until thematic saturation was reached. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews addressing the psychological, emotional, relational, social, educational, and economic consequences of parental divorce. The interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis based on Attride-Stirling’s thematic-network approach with the assistance of MAXQDA software. The extracted themes were integrated with relevant psychological theories and intervention models to develop a ten-session psychological empowerment program. Content validation was subsequently conducted by 12 experts in clinical psychology, counseling, health psychology, and family studies. Expert judgments concerning necessity, relevance, clarity, simplicity, sequencing, and feasibility were examined using the Content Validity Ratio and Content Validity Index.

Findings: The analysis generated 397 initial codes, which were consolidated into 79 basic themes, 15 organizing themes, and five global themes: the lived experience of difficulties associated with parental divorce, psychological resilience, strengthening communication skills, personal and cognitive development, and development of social support. These themes informed ten intervention sessions focused on acceptance, resilience, cognitive reconstruction, communication, coping, self-compassion, future planning, support-network development, integration, and maintenance. In the initial validation, the overall Content Validity Ratio was 0.72 and the Content Validity Index was 0.89. Following expert-recommended revisions, all sessions exceeded the required validity threshold, while the overall indices increased to 0.73 and 0.91, respectively.

Conclusion: The developed program demonstrated adequate conceptual coherence and content validity and provides a multidimensional, context-sensitive framework for strengthening psychological empowerment among university students from divorced families.

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Educational-Therapeutic Packages on Anxiety and Alexithymia in Students with Self-Harming Behaviors

Fatemeh Fathi iD , Niloufar Tahmouresi ^* iD , Mahtab Morveji iD

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of educational-therapeutic packages based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing anxiety and alexithymia among students with self-harming behaviors.

Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with two intervention groups and a control group. The statistical population consisted of upper-secondary school students in Kermanshah, Iran. Using convenience sampling and screening with the Sansone et al. (1998) Self-Harm Inventory, 45 eligible students were selected and assigned to CBT, ACT, and control groups. Participants completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (1990) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (1994) at pretest and posttest. The two experimental groups received educational-therapeutic interventions based on CBT and ACT, whereas the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses of covariance (ANCOVA and MANCOVA) in SPSS version 26, with pretest scores controlled in the inferential analyses.

Findings: Univariate ANCOVA indicated a statistically significant group effect on posttest anxiety after controlling for pretest scores, with group membership accounting for approximately 78% of the variance in anxiety. A significant intervention effect was also found for total alexithymia, indicating a substantial reduction attributable to the therapeutic interventions. Multivariate covariance analysis of alexithymia dimensions revealed significant between-group differences in difficulty identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally oriented thinking, with the largest effect observed for externally oriented thinking. Bonferroni post-hoc comparisons demonstrated that both CBT and ACT significantly reduced anxiety, total alexithymia, and its dimensions compared with the control group. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between CBT and ACT in their effects on anxiety or alexithymia.

Conclusion: Both CBT- and ACT-based educational-therapeutic packages appear to be effective interventions for reducing anxiety and alexithymia among students exhibiting self-harming behaviors. The absence of significant differences between the two approaches suggests that either intervention may be incorporated into school-based psychological and counseling programs according to students’ needs and available clinical resources.

Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS)

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The Effectiveness of Systems Thinking Training and Creative Problem-Solving on Social-Emotional Skills in University Students

The Effectiveness of Anger Management Skills Training and Assertive Behavior Training on Interpersonal Relationships and Tendency Toward Drug Use Among Female High School Students

The Relationship Between Maladaptive Perfectionism and Academic Burnout with Students’ Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Spiritual Intelligence

Predicting Cyberbullying–Cybervictimization Experience Based on Parent–Child Relationship, Psychological Well-Being, and Internet Addiction in Adolescents in Isfahan City

The Effectiveness of Resilience-Based Group Training on Uncertainty Intolerance, Future Orientation, and Stress Appraisal in High School Students

Designing a Metacognitive Training Mobile Application and Evaluating Its Effectiveness on Meta-Worry and Metacognitive Beliefs in University Students with Anxiety Symptoms

Development of a Social Anxiety Model Based on Dark Personality Traits and Metacognition With the Mediating Role of Alexithymia Among University Students in Kermanshah

Comparing the Effectiveness of Mentalization-Based Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Time Perception and Self-Forgiveness in Adolescents with Self-Injurious Behaviors

Design and Testing of a Model of the Effect of Social Situation Appraisal on Social Anxiety in Female University Students with the Mediating Role of Safety Behaviors and Social Beliefs and Thoughts

Developing a Structural Model of Academic Engagement Based on Academic Self-Regulation and Academic Buoyancy: The Mediating Role of Epistemological Beliefs in Students

Prediction of Students’ Academic Satisfaction Using Deep Learning Algorithms Based on Self-Efficacy, Professor–Student Interaction, Mental Health, and Achievement Motivation

Elastic Net Regression for Predicting Psychological Well-Being among Adolescents from Resilience, Self-Compassion, Gratitude, and Perceived Social Support

Hybrid XGBoost–SHAP Prediction of Adolescent Academic Achievement from Cognitive Emotion Regulation, Academic Motivation, Procrastination, and Sleep Quality

Cybervictimization and Disordered Eating Among Adolescent Girls: A Structural Equation Model of Appearance Comparison, Body Dissatisfaction, and Self-Esteem

Family Conflict and Adolescent Aggression: A Structural Equation Modeling Study of Parental Psychological Control, Autonomy Frustration, and Anger Dysregulation

Childhood Emotional Neglect and Substance Misuse among Emerging Adults: The Mediating Roles of Alexithymia, Experiential Avoidance, and Loneliness

ADHD Symptoms and Academic Performance Among Adolescents: The Roles of Executive Dysfunction, Smartphone Distraction, and Academic Procrastination

Classifying Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Risk Based on Childhood Trauma, Emotion Dysregulation, Peer Rejection, and Depressive Symptoms Using a Support Vector Machine

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