Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on coping strategies and in reducing anxiety, depression, and physical complaints in student victims of bullying

Abstract

Background: Bullying among students is a problem with severe and unpleasant consequences for victims. Objectives: This research studied the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on coping strategies and in reducing anxiety, depression, and physical complaints in student victims. Patients and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest control group. Data was collected using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire, Achenbach's Youth Self-Report (YSR), and Billings and Mouse's Coping Strategies Scale. In total, 30 participants who achieved high scores on these questionnaires were randomly assigned to the experimental group or to the control group. The subjects of the experimental group were treated with cognitive-behavioral group therapy over 12 sessions of 90 minutes each. The subjects of the control group received no intervention. At the end of the cognitive-behavioral group therapy sessions, a posttest was implemented for both groups. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the collected data. Results: The results showed that cognitive-behavioral group therapy reduced anxiety, depression, and physical complaints. In addition, it reduced emotion-focused coping strategies and increased problem-focused coping strategies in the experimental group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Cognitive-behavioral group therapy along with the use of coping strategies can reduce anxiety, depression, and physical complaints in student victims of bullying.