The Effectiveness of Positive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Self-Esteem and Resilience among the Adolescents with Depression Signs

Aim and Positive cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a new approach in psychotherapy that combines cognitive behavioral therapy with positive psychology and solution-focused therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of positive cognitive behavioral therapy on resilience and self-esteem among the adolescents with depression signs.
Methods and Materials: This was a semi-experimental study with pretest/posttests design, and with control group. Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered among the students in first grade of 5 randomly-selected high schools. Among the students who had scores upper than cut-off point of depression, and with consideration of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 34 students were selected, and randomly divided into two equal groups of control and experimental. Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC), and Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) were administered among the selected sample as pretest. Positive cognitive behavioral therapy was performed in experimental group, and again, the questionnaires were administered among the participants as posttest.
Findings: Positive cognitive behavioral therapy significantly increased students’ scores of resilience and self-esteem in experimental group compared to control group.
It seems that positive cognitive behavioral therapy can be applied as an effective approach for enhancing positive function components in adolescents with depression signs; further researches on this topic are recommended.