The effect of self-regulation-oriented training on mental health and anxiety of female high school students

Introduction: Mental illnesses have created many problems in modern societies, especially in the school age group. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the effect of self-regulation-oriented training on anxiety and mental health of female high school students. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 103 female students in the 10th grade of high schools of Mashhad city (47 students in control group and 56 students in experimental group) were selected through multistage random cluster sampling. Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Self-Regulatory Learning Strategies questionnaires were used. The experimental group received a training program for four sessions, while the control group received no training program. At the end of the training program, a post-test was conducted. Three months after the last training session, questionnaires were filled in two groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 24, Kolmogrov-Smirnov test, independent t-test, repeated measure, and Pearson correlation. Results: The results indicated that the scores of anxiety and mental health were different significantly in post-test phase between the two groups (P=0.01). While, the mentioned variables were not statistically different after three months (P=0.07, P=0.08, respectively). Conclusion: It seems that self-regulated learning can be useful to reduce anxiety and mental health of students.