Effectiveness of Group Behavioral Activation Treatment on Depressive Symptoms and Dysfunctional Attitudes

this study was designed to examine the effectiveness of group behavioral activation treatment on depressive symptoms, and its effects on dysfunctional attitudes, a cognitive construct regarded to play an important role in depression. Twenty four university students suffering from depressive symptoms, were randomly assigned to two groups: experimental group (n=10) and control group (n=14). The experimental group was treated through 5 sessions of group behavioral activation treatment. Depressive symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes in both groups were assessed before and after treatment sessions. Improvement of depresssive symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes in experimental group were significantly more than control group. Effectiveness of a brief and purely behavioral group therapy in reducing depresssive symptoms and dysfunctional attitudes has important theoretical and practical implications.