The effectiveness of Pennsylvania resilience training on the symptoms of procrastination and anxiety in perfectionist gifted adolescents

Talented students are the national assets of any country and not paying attention to them can cause psychological damage to individuals. In this study, the effect of the Pennsylvania resilience treatment program on procrastination and anxiety components in perfectionist intelligent adolescents in Dezful was investigated.

The research method was experimental and in the form of a pre-test and post-test research design with a control group. The statistical population of this study included adolescent girls aged 12 to 16 years who responded positively to the call. They were invited to the clinic and filled out the perfectionism questionnaire. Then, among them, 30 people with high perfectionism scores were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. A pre-test was performed on both groups and after the treatment sessions, a post-test was taken from both groups. Data collection tools were questionnaires by Solomon and Ratblum and the Beck Anxiety Scale (BAI). 

Univariate analysis of covariance and analysis of covariance assumptions were used to analyze the data. The results of the analysis of covariance showed that the effect of academic procrastination scores in the pre-test stage was significant (p=0.32, F=5.145), meaning that there is a significant relationship between academic procrastination pre-test scores and post-test scores in this variable. Also, after controlling the pre-test scores, the effect of the group on the score of academic procrastination in the post-test stage was significant (p=0.001, F=23.50). Based on the observed averages, it can be concluded that resilience training by the Pennsylvania method has reduced academic procrastination by 46% in the post-examination phase. The effect of scores on the pre-test stage was also significant (P=0.026, F=7.565). This means that there is a significant relationship between the pre-test scores of anxiety and the post-test scores of this variable. Also, after controlling the pre-test scores, the effect of the group on the anxiety score in the post-test stage was significant (p=0.010, F=7.648). Based on the observed means, it can be concluded that resilience training by the Pennsylvania method has reduced anxiety by 22% in the post-test phase.

The results of the analysis showed that the Pennsylvania Resilience Program has reduced academic procrastination and anxiety in perfectionist intelligent teens.