Comparing the effectiveness of ISTDP intervention program, awareness training, and its application on executive functions

The executive functions of the brain are important structures that are responsible for controlling consciousness, thinking and actions associated with psychological processes. Therefore, the research question is whether using short-term dynamic psychotherapy intervention, awareness and integration of these two can enhance executive functions.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ISTDP intervention program, awareness training and integration of these two executive functions.

The design of this quasi-experimental study was pre-test and post-test with the control group. The study population consisted of 9 female students in the ninth grade of district 4 of Tehran city who were studying in the academic year 2017 subjects were selected who, after the initial diagnostic interview, were identified as the best available sample to participate in the course. Subjects were randomly assigned into 3 experimental and 1 control groups. The research instrument was the London Shallis Tower Test (1982), Dynamic Dynamics Protocol (1995) and Cobt-Zain Consciousness Intervention (1990, 1990). Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to analyze the data.

The results of the analysis of pre-test and post-test scores between the two experimental and control groups showed that awareness training programs, istdp intervention program, and the combination of these two groups resulted in post-test and posttest scores in all three groups. Part of the integrated intervention was more than the other two interventions (p<0/05).

Consolidated intervention had the most effect and the intervention of awareness had the least effect on the problem solving ability of the subjects. Although the effect of ISTDP-based intervention was more than body-awareness intervention, the difference between these two interventions was not statistically significant, while the difference between body-awareness and integrated intervention was statistically significant.