The Effectiveness of Strengths-based Psychotherapy in Reducing Anxiety Sensitivity and Panic Attacks in Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder

Kianoush  Zahrakar; Aysan  Sharei; Ali  Salmani

doi:10.18502/qjcr.v23i92.17846

Kianoush Zahrakar Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
Aysan Sharei Ph.D. student of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
Ali Salmani Ph.D. Student of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/qjcr.v23i92.17846

Keywords: Strengths-based psychotherapy, anxiety sensitivity, panic attacks, major depressive disorder, adolescents

Abstract

Aim: The primary aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of strengths-based psychotherapy in decreasing anxiety sensitivity and panic attacks among adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Methods: The method of the present study was an experiment with a pre-test and a post-test with a control group. The present study population comprised of female teenagers diagnosed with major depressive disorder who visited the academic counseling center in city of Ardabil (Iran) between April to June 2024. In this research, 30 eligible participants were chosen through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group (15 individuals each). Data collection involved use of Beck's depression questionnaire 1996), anxiety sensitivity measures by Taylor and Cox (1998), and panic symptom assessments by Liebowitz and colleagues (1984). The experimental group received strengths-based psychotherapy consisting of 8 ninety-minute weekly sessions, and post-test evaluations were conducted for both groups to assess the intervention's impact. Data analysis was performed using multivariate covariance analysis in SPSS-24 statistical software. Findings: The results revealed that the mean scores of the experimental group for anxiety sensitivity (F=90.54, P≤0.001) and panic attacks (F=11.90, P≤0.05) were significantly lower than those of the control group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that strengths-based psychotherapy could serve as a novel and effective approach to reducing anxiety sensitivity and panic attacks in adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder.