أثر الإرشاد الجمعي المعرفي السلوكي في خفض أعراض الغضب والوحدة لدى أطفال اللاجئين السوريين في الأردن
This study sought to explore the impact of cognitive behavioral group counseling program directed to female children of Syrian refugees living in Al-Rusaifa city-Zarqa govemorate in Jordan, in reducing symptoms of anger and loneliness. The convenient sample consisted of 32 participants with ages ranged between (10-13 years). This study used a pre-post equivalent groups randomized experiment design. The experimental n=16 and control groups n=16 were matched in pre-tests based on self reported anger and loneliness scales. To investigate the impact of group counseling program (independent variable) on anger and loneliness (dependent variables), a tri- weekly 14 sessions group program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psycho-education approach was developed and held over a period of six weeks. The six-week CBT group had individual topics for each session that were: Orientation to therapy, goals and expectation of therapy, getting started; anger management and self-control anger coping; progressive relaxation training; influences of cognitive processes and hostile attributional biases on anger, assertiveness, aggressive anger expressions and passivity; social problem solving skills; positive play and build or maintain relationships with peers skills; non-verbal communication skills; negotiation and cooperation and acceptance refusal; group joining skills; and finally review accomplishments of therapy, integration, termination, and wrapping up. Results of pretest to posttest differences for the experimental and control groups on the study scales using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the treatment group compared to control group, was significantly α=0.05 more likely to have higher levels of improvements on anger and its six sub-scales (Anger stimulus; emotions accompanied with anger; psychosomatic symptoms; self-anger; external anger; and anger intensity) and loneliness scales. Moreover, results of paired sample t- test, of posttest to follow-up differences for the experimental group on the study two scales, indicated that while the treatment group in post tests improved significantly α=0.05, in the study two scales, in the follow-up tests the group maintained the therapeutic gains they attained previously but not significantly on the anger scale and its six subscales, but the group maintained the therapeutic gains they attained previously significantly only on the loneliness scale. Specifically, there were positive differences between post to follow-up tests scores on anger two subscales (emotions accompanied with anger; and anger intensity), but not on the other four subscales or total grade, which regressed to become higher but the differences were not significant. These findings suggest that CBT group counseling may be effective in helping female refugee children living in Jordan, who have serious difficulties with anger management and loneliness such as participants in this study. This suggests the possibility of integration this type of programs within services provided by counselors and mental health providers working in Jordanian schools and refugee social institutions. Also, future researchers may conduct similar studies aimed to help male children of, Syrian refugees and other age groups such as older adolescents; Additionally, there is an urgent need to designing group counseling programs that put into consideration school-based primary preventive interventions that target refugee children with symptoms of anger symptoms, hostile behaviors, and lack of positive interactions in their early years of life. (Author’s abstract)