Project 2 Assignment

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a group cognitive behavioral program on self-esteem, depression, and interpersonal relations among undergraduate students. The study used a sample of 37 undergraduate students attending K University at Changwon, South Korea. A pretest-post-test non-equivalent group design was used to explore the impacts of the developed group cognitive behavioral intervention in enhancing the mental health of undergraduate students. The hypotheses of the study comprised of 1) the group cognitive behavioral program had a positive effect on the depression levels of the undergraduate students, 2) the group cognitive behavioral program had a positive effect on the self-esteem of undergraduate students, and 3) the group cognitive behavioral program had a positive effect on the student’s interpersonal relation skills. In general, the study concluded that the group cognitive behavioral program had a positive impact on the depression levels of the students, where the program significantly decreased the depression scores and significantly increased the interpersonal relations and self-esteem of the study participants.

A quantitative research methodology was used for data collection and analysis. Data on depression was collected based on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale, consisting of 21 items graded on a 4-point Likert scale. The internal consistency of the BDI items used in the study had a Cronbach’s α of 0.81. Data on self-esteem was also collected and measured based on the Korean Version of self-esteem, which consists of 10 items rated on a 4-point Likert scale. The data on self-esteem collected had a Cronbach’s α of 0.88, which shows that the data had an optimal internal consistency. Additionally, data on interpersonal skills was collected and assessed based on the Relationship Chang Scale, which consists of 25 items rated over a 5-point Likert scale to determine sensitivity, intimacy, satisfaction, communication, openness, trust,  and understanding.  The data collected on interpersonal relations had a Cronbach’s α of 0.79, which shows that the data had an optimal internal consistency.

The data were analyzed using various statistical analyses using the SPSS/Win version 23.0 statistical software tool. Descriptive statistics were performed to assess the general attributes of the study variables, including the self-esteem, depression, and interpersonal relationships of the participants. Moreover, the Fisher’s exact test, Chi-square test, and t-test statistical tests were performed on the data collected to determine the homogeneity of variables between the control and experimental groups. A repeated-measures ANOVA was also conducted to verify the impact of the group cognitive behavioral program on the mental health of the participants in the control or experimental groups over time. 5% significant level and two-tailed tests were used in all the statistical tests.

Based on the study results, the pre-test independent t-tests statistical measures of the participant showed that there was a negligible difference between the self-esteem scores of the experimental group (M = 29.22, SD = 5.87) and the control group (M= 32.84, SD= 8341) with a P-value of 0.140. There was also a negligible difference in pre-test depression scores between the control group (M = 13.0, SD= 6.53) and the experimental group (M= 16.16, SD= 7.16) with a p test value of 0.168. Nevertheless, there was a substantial difference in interpersonal relationship scores between the experimental group (M= 76.50, SD= 9.99) and the control group (M= 87.42, SD= 10.85) with a p-value of 0.003.

Similarly, the findings showed that depression had a significant interaction between time and group (F= 12.48, p=0.001) and time (F = 30.21, p < 0.001). Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed a substantial reduction of depression scores with (t = -6.48, p < 0.001). The experimental group also showed a substantial reduction of self-esteem scores compared to the control group with (t = 3.70, p = 0.002). In addition, the experimental group showed a substantial reduction of interpersonal relationships for the experimental groups compared to the control group with (t = 5.20, p < 0.001). In general, the study results failed to reject the null hypothesis, which showed that cognitive behavioral therapy had a positive impact on the participants' mental health.

Nonetheless, the limitation of the study involved inadequate homogeneity in interpersonal relationships between participants in the control and the experimental groups in the pre-test phase of the study. Furthermore, the study sample consisted of students from only one university. However, the study is mainly essential in the research in behavioral health through its contribution to the literature on the impact of mental health interventions on depression, self-esteem, and students' relationships. The results of this study have a positive effect on the behavioral health practice, where it has corrected the cognitive distortions and changed irrational thinking using a CBT program comprising of eight short-term cognitive behavioral group therapies for enhancing the mental health of undergraduate students.

Project 2 Assignment Paper Outline

Description of the study: The study aimed at determining the effects of a group cognitive behavioral program on the self-esteem, depression, and interpersonal relations among undergraduate students

Statistic Test Used: the study used an independent t-test, chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and repeated measures ANOVA for data collection and analysis between the control and experimental groups.

Statistical results: the statistical results showed a negligible difference in self-esteem and depression levels between the control and experimental groups. However, there was a significant difference in interpersonal relationships between the control and experimental groups.

Interpretation of the Statistical Results: the study results failed to reject the null hypothesis where it was concluded that the group cognitive therapy program decreased the depression scores of the experimental group as well as increased the self-esteem and interpersonal relationships of the participants in the experimental group.

Limitations, Contribution, and Impact of the Study: the limitations of the study included no homogeneity between the inadequate homogeneity in interpersonal relationships between participants in the control and the experimental groups in the pretest phase as well as the study used participants from one university. The study contributed literature on the impacts of cognitive behavioral therapy on students, which is important in the research in behavioral therapy. As well, the study shows the importance of assessing the impact of mental health programs on promoting mental health of participants.