Intervention for the management of psychoemotional symptoms in adolescents. A pilot study

Abstract

Objective: To implement and evaluate the effect of a psychological intervention program from the cognitive-behavioral model for the reduction of symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression in adolescents, as well as to examine the possible differences between men and women.

Materials and methods: This is a quantitative study with a pre-experimental pre- and post-test design of a single group with a non-random convenience sample composed of 39 participants aged 15 to 18 years, (M= 15.97, SD= 0.84) men (23.1%) and women who represented 76.9%, high school students. A sociodemographic file and Beck's stress scales (ASQ), anxiety and depression were applied. The intervention program that was developed for this purpose lasted five weeks.

Results: Differences were observed in the decrease of symptoms after the intervention, since the average stress scores of 203 dropped to 184 points (p=.05), depression from 32 to 24 points and anxiety from 41 to 34 points (p=.05), which confirms the hypothesis raised. It is especially women who showed higher levels of stress in contrast to men.

Conclusions: The intervention program is a first approach that favors the management of these disorders, so it is recommended to continue with follow-up, as well as the inclusion of a control group that allows for more evidence regarding its usefulness and generates greater well-being in adolescents.

Keywords: Depression; Anxiety; Research; Intervention.