Comparison of the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Intensive Solution-Focused Therapy on Resilience in Adolescents with Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
Keywords:
Resilience, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Intensive Solution-Focused Therapy, Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, AdolescentsAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and intensive solution-focused therapy (ISFT) in improving resilience among adolescents engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI).
Methods and Materials: This applied experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a three-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of female students aged 12–18 years with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury who were referred to school counselors in Neyshabur, Iran, in 2024. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the CBT or ISFT group. The final sample comprised 44 adolescents, with 22 participants in each intervention group. Resilience was assessed using the Adolescent Resilience Scale developed by Oshio et al. (2002). The CBT intervention consisted of eight 90-minute sessions, whereas the intensive solution-focused intervention consisted of six 90-minute sessions, implemented over six to eight weeks. Data were collected at pretest, posttest, and three-month follow-up and analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance.
Findings: Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant main effect of time on resilience (p < .001), indicating significant changes in resilience scores across the pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments. However, neither the main effect of group nor the time × group interaction was statistically significant, demonstrating that the pattern of change in resilience did not differ significantly between the CBT and ISFT groups. Both interventions significantly increased resilience from pretest to posttest; however, the improvements were not fully maintained at the three-month follow-up (p < .05). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between CBT and ISFT in their overall effectiveness in enhancing resilience.
Conclusion: Both cognitive behavioral therapy and intensive solution-focused therapy appear effective in improving resilience among adolescents with nonsuicidal self-injury, with neither intervention demonstrating superior effectiveness. Nevertheless, the attenuation of treatment gains at follow-up suggests that booster sessions or maintenance-oriented interventions may be necessary to sustain improvements over time.
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