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PaperProcrastination

Two kinds of group therapy both helped boys who self-harm put off schoolwork less

Who it’s about: Students

A teenage boy on a stool pulls a school satchel toward himself on a rope, hand over hand.
  1. Helped

    Boys who had eight group sessions on unhelpful thoughts put off schoolwork less than boys who were still waiting.

    Small randomised trial of 45 secondary-school boys in Iran who self-harm · vs boys who waited for the sessions · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable

  2. Helped

    Boys who had eight sessions on mindfulness and values also put off schoolwork less than the waiting group.

    Small randomised trial of 45 secondary-school boys in Iran who self-harm · vs boys who waited for the sessions · they rated themselves · ⚠ numbers unreliable

The study

Who took part

45 boys in their second year of secondary school in Sari, Iran, who hurt themselves on purpose. There were about 15 in each group, and the paper's main text says 44, not 45.

What they did

One group had 8 group sessions of therapy that challenges unhelpful thoughts. They wrote down upsetting events and questioned the beliefs behind them. A second group had 8 group sessions on mindfulness, on letting thoughts pass, and on acting on what matters to them. The third group waited and got help after the study.

What happened

Both therapy groups said they put off schoolwork less than the waiting group, and the two therapies worked about equally well. The paper says this lasted to a later check, but doesn't say when that was. Many of the paper's numbers are scrambled, so we can't give sizes.

Source

Comparing the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on academic procrastination in self-harming students (2021)

DOI: 10.61838/kman.jayps.2.2.28

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