The Effect of Cognitive Errors Avoidance through Narrative Therapy on Depression and Dysfunctional Attitude of Elementary Girl Students

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of cognitive errors avoidance teaching through narrative therapy on depression and dysfunctional attitude of elementary girl students. This project was an experimental study with pretest-posttest-follow up (1 month) design. To measure depression and dysfunctional attitude, Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS) was used and to evaluate dysfunctional attitude of the students, DAS-C and clinical interview was employed. The statistical sample of the study included 36 fourth and fifth grade elementary girl students of Shiraz with depression. The participants were randomly assigned into three groups of experimental (12 people), placebo (12 people) and control (12 people). The experimental group was exposed to narrative therapy during 6 weeks, twice a week; the placebo group was exposed to the implementation of asset of selective stories (without the content of cognitive errors avoidance teaching) for 6 weeks, twice a week and the control group was received no treatment. To analyze the obtained data, co-variance analysis method was used, indicating a significance difference between mean depressions in the three groups in posttest stage. However, this difference was not significant in follow-up stage. Moreover, there was a significant difference between dysfunctional attitude mean in the three groups in posttest stage; such a difference was significant in follow-up stage as well. Accordingly, using narrative therapy was found to be effective to decrease depression and dysfunctional attitude of the students.