The Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Program on the Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms of Bullying Adolescents

Background and Objectives: Emotion dysregulation is one of the main reasons underlying problematic adolescent behaviors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an emotion regulation program based on externalizing and internalizing symptoms of bullying adolescents. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test study with a control group along with a follow-up period was performed among first grade female high school students in Tehran in the academic year 2019-2020. About 30 Students were selected and randomly assigned to two groups of 15; experimental and control. Intervention was performed only for the experimental group in 12 sessions of 90 minutes. Data collection tools were the Illinois Bullying Questionnaire, Achenbach Behavioral Problems, and Cicchetti Emotion Regulation. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance and repeated analysis of covariance. Results: Mean scores of post-test behavioral problems in the experimental and control groups were significantly different (P < 0.05), indicating the positive effect of the program. Conclusions: An emotion regulation program designed to improve the internalized and externalized symptoms of bullying adolescents was shown to be effective.