The Effect of Avoiding Cognitive Errors through Narrative Therapy on Depression and Dysfunctional Attitude in Primary School Girls

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of teaching to avoid cognitive errors through narrative therapy on depression and dysfunctional attitude in primary-school girls. Methods: This experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and a one-month follow-up. The assessment tool consisted of the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS), and DAS-C and clinical interviews were used to evaluate dysfunctional attitude among the students. The sample population consisted of 36 fourth- and fifth-grade, female, primary-school students with depression in Shiraz. The experimental group was exposed to narrative therapy, the placebo group to selective stories (without educational content on avoiding cognitive errors) and the control group received no treatment. The ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: The three groups were not different in terms of their depression score in the posttest (F=2.36, P=0.11), but the difference between them was significant in the follow-up stage (F=5.53, P=0.009). Significant differences were observed among the groups in terms of dysfunctional attitude and depression in the posttest (F=4.84, P=0.001) and the follow-up (P=0.0001, F=12.08). Conclusion: Narrative therapy was found to be effective in reducing depression and dysfunctional attitude in the students.