The effectiveness of addiction prevention training based on dialectical behavior therapy on family friendship and loneliness in adolescent boys.
- 1Department of Clinical Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
- 2Department of Quranic Sciences, College of Islamic Sciences, University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa, Karbala, Iraq.
- 3Research Center for Behavioral and Psychological Science, Department of Psychology, Isf.C., Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran.
Abstract
Background
The ever-evolving addiction poses a serious threat to the younger generation today. Addiction mostly threatens individuals with mental vulnerabilities and poor interpersonal relationships-both within the family and among peers. Thus, having an effective communication skill serves as a critical component in addiction prevention programs. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-based addiction program on adolescents, focusing on its impact on family connectedness and feelings of loneliness.Materials and methods
This semi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with two experimental and control groups. The study population consists male adolescents aged 12-18 in Isfahan during 2024. Forty male adolescents were selected through a purposive sampling, considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected participants were then randomly assigned to the experimental or control groups. All participants were assessed three times during the three stages of the study, using the Family Connectedness Questionnaire and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The control group was placed on a waiting list, while the experimental group received ten 90-min sessions of the DBT-based addiction prevention training. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, as well as the repeated-measures analysis of variance.Results
The results indicated that the intervention significantly improved both family connectedness and reduced feelings of loneliness (P < 0.05).Conclusion
Based on the findings, the DBT-based addiction prevention program has been shown to be an effective intervention for enhancing the dependent variables of the present study.
Related
- Effectiveness of Interventions for Reducing Loneliness Among Adult Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
- Editorial: The prevention of HIV among adolescent girls and young women: leaving no one behind
- Factors affecting adolescent participation in HIV/AIDS prevention services provided by Non-Governmental Organizations in Iran
- Improving the implementation of an adolescent obesity prevention intervention in under-resourced schools
- Effectiveness of community-based care pathways and relapse prevention strategies in schizophrenia: a systematic review and bibliometric analysis
BibTeX
@article{esfahani2026effectiveness,
title = {{The effectiveness of addiction prevention training based on dialectical behavior therapy on family friendship and loneliness in adolescent boys.}},
author = {Navid Nasr Esfahani and Abbas Adnan Kamel and Zahra Yousefi},
journal = {Journal of education and health promotion},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.4103/jehp.jehp_550_25},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923791},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The effectiveness of addiction prevention training based on dialectical behavior therapy on family friendship and loneliness in adolescent boys.
AU - Navid Nasr Esfahani
AU - Abbas Adnan Kamel
AU - Zahra Yousefi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Journal of education and health promotion
DO - 10.4103/jehp.jehp_550_25
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923791
AB - Background The ever-evolving addiction poses a serious threat to the younger generation today. Addiction mostly threatens individuals with mental vulnerabilities and poor interpersonal relationships-both within the family and among peers. Thus, having an effective communication skill serves as a critical component in addiction prevention programs. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of the dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-based addiction program on adolescents, focusing on its impact on family connectedness and feelings of loneliness.Materials and methods This semi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with two experimental and control groups. The study population consists male adolescents aged 12-18 in Isfahan during 2024. Forty male adolescents were selected through a purposive sampling, considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected participants were then randomly assigned to the experimental or control groups. All participants were assessed three times during the three stages of the study, using the Family Connectedness Questionnaire and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The control group was placed on a waiting list, while the experimental group received ten 90-min sessions of the DBT-based addiction prevention training. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation, as well as the repeated-measures analysis of variance.Results The results indicated that the intervention significantly improved both family connectedness and reduced feelings of loneliness (P < 0.05).Conclusion Based on the findings, the DBT-based addiction prevention program has been shown to be an effective intervention for enhancing the dependent variables of the present study.
SN - 2277-9531
SN - 2319-6440
ER -