Effect of Emotion Regulation Training on Aggression, Rumination, and Self-control in Female Junior High School Students with Low Academic Performance

Background: Theoretical and empirical evidence indicates that emotions primarily influence students’ behavior during adolescence. This study aimed to determine the effect of emotion regulation training on aggression, rumination, and self-control in female students with low academic performance.Methods: This study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included all female students with low academic performance in a junior high school in Tabriz, Iran during the first semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. Among them, 50 students were selected as the research sample by randomized cluster method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups through the random coin toss method. The data were collected by Tangney ‘s self-control scale (SCS), Boss Perry’s aggression questionnaire (AGQ), and Nolen-Hoeksema Marrrow’s mental rumination scale (RRS). An emotion regulation training package was performed for the experimental group. The control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed by paired t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using SPSS version 27.Results: After applying the intervention, the mean scores of variables were 45.40±8.10, 40.52±10.79, and 74.52±9.87 in the experimental group and 40.48±6.11, 48.56±11.58, and 88.2±10.74 in the control group, respectively. Hence, emotion regulation training was effective in reducing aggression (P=0.001) and mental rumination (P=0.014) and increasing self-control (P=0.019).Conclusions: This study proved that emotion regulation training could effectively decrease aggression and mental rumination and increase self-control in students with low academic performance.