The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a positive psychotherapy program on depression, self-esteem and school adjustment of depressive elementary school students.
Participants were 20 fifth grade students attending S elementary sch...
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a positive psychotherapy program on depression, self-esteem and school adjustment of depressive elementary school students.
Participants were 20 fifth grade students attending S elementary school in Busan. They were divided into two groups; 10 in an experimental group and 10 in a controlled group. The program has been conducted to the experimental group for 40 minutes twice a week (total 10 sessions) along with group counseling. Students were given scales assessing depression, self-esteem and school adjustment before and after the program. For analyzing of the research results, ANCOVA (Analysis of Covariance) that uses pretest results as covariance was used.
The results indicated that the students' depression in the experimental group decreased significantly while their self-esteem and school adjustment increased significantly. Consequently, the positive psychotherapy program is expected to be helpful to depressive elementary school students.
Finally, the implications and limitations of this study are discussed.