Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Instruction on Interpersonal Problems among Female High School Students

This study was conducted to observe the effectiveness of emotion regulation instruction on interpersonal problems among 10th‑grade female students in 2016–2017.

We used the quasi‑experimental method and conducted pretests and posttests on the control group. Statistical population of this study is comprised of all 10th‑grade female students of Neyshabur (Khorasan Razavi Province). In this study, 30 female students were selected by multistage randomized cluster sampling. Then, they were randomly placed in the central and experimental groups (15 students in each group). Inventory of interpersonal problem questionnaire was used to measure the level of interpersonal problems among the students. The results of this questionnaire were confirmed and its Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.88. We performed our emotion regulation instruction for the experimental group during 8 sessions that each lasted 90 min; these instruction sessions were held once a week, and the control group was also included in the list. At the end of these sessions, both the groups were reassessed.

The results of this study showed that there is a significant difference (P < 0.001) between the experimental and the control groups in the level of their interpersonal problems. Considering the level of emotion regulation effectiveness, we can allegedly claim that 87.6% of changes in interpersonal problems are a result of emotion regulation instruction.

It seems that by instructing emotion regulation in schools, the level of interpersonal problems among students can be reduced. The emotion regulation as a model of behavior triggers social support for adolescents. Social support can lead to solve interpersonal problems. Implications of emotion regulation model for basic and clinical research on close relationships are discussed.