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IRCT20260627069979N1 IRCT 2026-06-29 Islamic Azad University A comparative study of the effectiveness of problem-solving and emotional self-regulation skills training on the mental health and academic performance of female students with social anxiety Comparing the effectiveness of problem-solving skills training and emotional self-regulation training on social anxiety, academic resilience, self-efficacy, and academic quality of life in seventh-grade female students with social anxiety 2026-07-23 anticipated 60 Complete https://irct.ir/trial/91243 interventional Randomization: Randomized, Blinding: Not blinded, Placebo: Not used, Assignment: Parallel, Purpose: Education/Guidance, Randomization description: The statistical population of the present study will consist of all seventh-grade female students with social anxiety who are studying in the academic year 2025-2026. To select a sample to diagnose social anxiety in students, first, a cluster random sampling method will be used. In this way, two districts will be randomly selected from the education districts, and then six seventh-grade girls' schools will be selected from each district, and in the next stage, two seventh-grade girls' schools will be selected from each school. In the sample selection stage, a convenient sampling method will be used. After the students complete the social anxiety inventory, those whose scores in this questionnaire were one standard deviation above the mean and in a clinical interview conducted by a clinical psychologist based on the diagnostic and statistical criteria for mental disorders, fifth edition, will be selected as students with social anxiety. After selecting a sample size of 60 based on the study's entry and exit criteria, participants will be randomly assigned to three groups: "problem-solving skills training" (intervention group 1), "emotional self-regulation training" (intervention group 2), and "waiting list" (control group). Randomization will be performed using random blocks of variable size (4 and 6 participants) by an independent statistician who is not involved in the implementation process. The random assignment list will be generated using the RAND function in Excel software and then placed in opaque, sealed, and numbered envelopes so that the researcher and participants are not aware of the sequence of assignment (allocation concealment). The envelope will be opened and the allocation group will be informed only when each participant enters the study. To ensure the equality of the basic variables (such as anxiety level, age), their distribution in the two groups will be examined in the statistical analysis stage. N/A Social anxiety. Intervention 1: Intervention group: Problem-solving skills training; Duration of each session: 90 minutes; Total number of sessions: 8 sessions; Sequence of sessions: twice a week; Therapeutic tools used: Problem-solving phasing training (identification, definition, solution generation, decision-making, and implementation); Cognitive restructuring (to manage anxious thoughts in social situations); Role-playing exercises; Practical problem-solving exercises; and stress management techniques related to academic challenges. The content of the sessions is as follows: Session 1: Pre-test administration, introduction to the group, explanation of the concept of problem-solving skills and its relationship with reducing social anxiety and increasing self-efficacy. Session 2: Problem identification; Training on how to distinguish between “real problems” and “anxious thoughts” and learning how to accurately describe a social or academic problem. Session 3: Problem definition and factor analysis stage; Training students to examine the roots of social problems and classify them. Session 4: Brainstorming and solution generation; Teaching creative techniques to generate a large number of possible solutions to deal with anxiety-provoking situations without judging the ideas. Session Five: Evaluation and Decision Making; Teaching how to examine the advantages and disadvantages of each of the solutions produced and choose the best solution according to individual capabilities. Session Six: Role-playing exercises for practical implementation of the selected solutions in a controlled environment to reduce social sensitivities. Session Seven: Practical planning and implementation of the solution; Teaching how to convert the solution into small and executable steps, and managing obstacles that may arise during the implementation of the solution. Session Eight: Summarizing the sessions, reviewing the problem-solving stages, providing self-learning solutions for the future, conducting a post-test, and setting a specific time for the follow-up test. Intervention 2: Intervention group: Emotional self-regulation training; Duration of each session: 90 minutes; Total number of sessions: 8 sessions; Sequence of sessions: twice a week; Therapeutic tools used: Emotional awareness training; Cognitive restructuring; Physiological response modulation techniques; Learning acceptance strategies; and Impulse control exercises in social situations. The content of the sessions is as follows: Session 1: Pre-test, introduction to the group, explanation of the concept of emotional self-regulation, and training on the relationship between emotion, thought, and behavior in anxious situations. Session 2: Identifying and naming emotions; Training students to recognize emotions in the body and learn how to accurately describe their emotions. Session 3: Understanding emotions and acceptance; Teaching that emotions are messages from the environment and learning techniques for accepting emotions without judgment to prevent secondary emotions. Session 4: Cognitive restructuring; Training techniques for changing automatic and negative thoughts that exacerbate social anxiety. Session 5: Managing physiological responses; Teaching muscle relaxation techniques and diaphragmatic breathing exercises to quickly control physical symptoms of anxiety in the school environment. Session 6: Coping and mindfulness strategies; using mindfulness techniques to distance yourself from obsessive and anxious thoughts during academic and social situations. Session 7: Planning for challenging situations; teaching how to use the skills learned in real-life scenarios to improve self-efficacy and resilience. Session 8: Wrapping up the sessions, reviewing personalized strategies for each student, providing final suggestions, administering the post-test, and setting a specific time for the follow-up test. Intervention 3: Control group: The control group will not receive any intervention during the research, but will receive one of the interventions after data collection to prevent factors that threaten the internal validity of the research, such as compensatory competition from the control group or demoralization. Undecided - It is not yet known if there will be a plan to make this available Justification or reason for indecision in sharing IPD is Due to the failure to start research work, and consequently, the failure to write an article, which is a requirement for publishing data, I will publish the data as soon as the aforementioned issues are resolved.
public Hadiyeh Sabet Farhadi
Unit 1, No. 3, Ayat Complex, End of 5th Sharghi St., Kianpars
Ahvaz Iran (Islamic Republic of) 6155936345 +98 61 3333 3333 hediyeh.farhadi@iau.ac.ir Islamic Azad University scientific Hadiyeh Sabet Farhadi
Unit 1, No. 3, Ayat Complex, End of 5th Sharghi St., Kianpars
Ahvaz Iran (Islamic Republic of) 6155936345 +98 61 3333 3333 hediyeh.farhadi@iau.ac.ir Islamic Azad University Iran (Islamic Republic of) Girls aged 12 to 13 years Girls in seventh grade Students with social anxiety as diagnosed by a clinical psychologist 12 years 13 years Female No serious physical illness Participation in other psychotherapy sessions at least one month before the study Unwillingness to participate in the study F40.1 Social phobias Treatment - Other Treatment - Other Treatment - Other Intervention group: Problem-solving skills training; Duration of each session: 90 minutes; Total number of sessions: 8 sessions; Sequence of sessions: twice a week; Therapeutic tools used: Problem-solving phasing training (identification, definition, solution generation, decision-making, and implementation); Cognitive restructuring (to manage anxious thoughts in social situations); Role-playing exercises; Practical problem-solving exercises; and stress management techniques related to academic challenges. The content of the sessions is as follows: Session 1: Pre-test administration, introduction to the group, explanation of the concept of problem-solving skills and its relationship with reducing social anxiety and increasing self-efficacy. Session 2: Problem identification; Training on how to distinguish between “real problems” and “anxious thoughts” and learning how to accurately describe a social or academic problem. Session 3: Problem definition and factor analysis stage; Training students to examine the roots of social problems and classify them. Session 4: Brainstorming and solution generation; Teaching creative techniques to generate a large number of possible solutions to deal with anxiety-provoking situations without judging the ideas. Session Five: Evaluation and Decision Making; Teaching how to examine the advantages and disadvantages of each of the solutions produced and choose the best solution according to individual capabilities. Session Six: Role-playing exercises for practical implementation of the selected solutions in a controlled environment to reduce social sensitivities. Session Seven: Practical planning and implementation of the solution; Teaching how to convert the solution into small and executable steps, and managing obstacles that may arise during the implementation of the solution. Session Eight: Summarizing the sessions, reviewing the problem-solving stages, providing self-learning solutions for the future, conducting a post-test, and setting a specific time for the follow-up test. Intervention group: Emotional self-regulation training; Duration of each session: 90 minutes; Total number of sessions: 8 sessions; Sequence of sessions: twice a week; Therapeutic tools used: Emotional awareness training; Cognitive restructuring; Physiological response modulation techniques; Learning acceptance strategies; and Impulse control exercises in social situations. The content of the sessions is as follows: Session 1: Pre-test, introduction to the group, explanation of the concept of emotional self-regulation, and training on the relationship between emotion, thought, and behavior in anxious situations. Session 2: Identifying and naming emotions; Training students to recognize emotions in the body and learn how to accurately describe their emotions. Session 3: Understanding emotions and acceptance; Teaching that emotions are messages from the environment and learning techniques for accepting emotions without judgment to prevent secondary emotions. Session 4: Cognitive restructuring; Training techniques for changing automatic and negative thoughts that exacerbate social anxiety. Session 5: Managing physiological responses; Teaching muscle relaxation techniques and diaphragmatic breathing exercises to quickly control physical symptoms of anxiety in the school environment. Session 6: Coping and mindfulness strategies; using mindfulness techniques to distance yourself from obsessive and anxious thoughts during academic and social situations. Session 7: Planning for challenging situations; teaching how to use the skills learned in real-life scenarios to improve self-efficacy and resilience. Session 8: Wrapping up the sessions, reviewing personalized strategies for each student, providing final suggestions, administering the post-test, and setting a specific time for the follow-up test. Control group: The control group will not receive any intervention during the research, but will receive one of the interventions after data collection to prevent factors that threaten the internal validity of the research, such as compensatory competition from the control group or demoralization. Social Anxiety. Timepoint: 1. Pre-test (before the start of the intervention) 2. Post-test (immediately after the end of the intervention period) 3. One-month follow-up after the intervention. Method of measurement: The measurement method will be using the Social Anxiety Inventory (Kanver et al., 2000). Academic Resilience. Timepoint: 1. Pre-test (before the start of the intervention) 2. Post-test (immediately after the end of the intervention period) 3. One-month follow-up after the intervention. Method of measurement: The measurement method will be using Martin's (2001) Academic Resilience Questionnaire. Self-Efficacy. Timepoint: 1. Pre-test (before the start of the intervention) 2. Post-test (immediately after the end of the intervention period) 3. One-month follow-up after the intervention. Method of measurement: The measurement method will be using the Morris et al. (2001) self-efficacy questionnaire. Quality of Academic Life. Timepoint: 1. Pre-test (before the start of the intervention) 2. Post-test (immediately after the end of the intervention period) 3. One-month follow-up after the intervention. Method of measurement: The measurement method will be using the Inley and Burke (1992) Quality of Academic Life Questionnaire. Islamic Azad University Approved 2026-06-23 Ethics Committee of Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz Branch Opposite Keshavarz Street, Farhang Shahr, Golestan Highway Ahvaz Khouzestan Iran (Islamic Republic of)