The Impact of a Psychological Training Package on Patterns of Self-Destructive Behaviors Among Students at Herat University, Afghanistan

Rezaei, Ali; aghamohammadian sharbaf, Hammidreza; Asghari Ebrahimabad, Mohammadjavad; Rasoulzadeh Tabatabaei, Seyed Kazem

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Volume 33, Issue 4 (9-2025)

Journal of Ilam University of Medical Sciences 2025, 33(4): 17-29

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The Impact of a Psychological Training Package on Patterns of Self-Destructive Behaviors Among Students at Herat University, Afghanistan

Ali Rezaei¹

, Hammidreza Aghamohammadian sharbaf ^*²

, Mohammadjavad Asghari Ebrahimabad¹

, Seyed Kazem Rasoulzadeh Tabatabaei¹

1- Dept of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2- Dept of Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran , AliRezeai2019@gmail.com

Abstract: (11 Views)

Introduction: Self-destructive behaviors are one of the major mental health challenges that can have profound effects on individual and social life. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a psychological education package (a 10-session training program) on self-destructive behavior patterns among university students at Herat University, Afghanistan.
Materials & Methods: Self-destructive 80 students from Herat University's Faculty of Law, Political Science, Economics, Management, and Psychology were studied. A 10-session training program addressed these issues by focusing on not getting enough exercise, not having fun, being addicted to the internet and mobile phones, not managing stress, and being angry. The package included psychoeducation and hands-on therapy. Researchers used the Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire to count those who scored 0–93. Pre-intervention, a 10-session experimental group intervention, and post-intervention evaluations were conducted. The statistical studies used MANCOVA, ANOVA, and Levene's tests to assess variance homogeneity. Pillai's trace was used to evaluate the intervention, and SPSS V.23 found effect sizes to be practically significant at a significance level below 0.05.
Results: The experimental group exhibited a statistically significant reduction in overall self-destructive behavior scores as a result of the intervention, decreasing from a mean of 80.3 at the pretest to 47.2 at the posttest, while the control group's scores remained unchanged (p > 0.05). The training package significantly influenced the outcomes, as evidenced by multivariate analysis, which confirmed the intervention effect (Pillai's Trace = 0.937, F = 44.959, p < 0.001, η² = 0.93).
Conclusion: Integrating multiple therapeutic approaches into the training package reduced self-destructive behaviors and improved student behavior and cognition.

Keywords: Self-destructive Behaviors, Psychological Training, Mental Health, Students

Full-Text [PDF 838 kb] (2 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: psychology
Received: 2024/10/28 | Accepted: 2025/06/3 | Published: 2025/09/27

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Rezaei A, aghamohammadian sharbaf H, Asghari Ebrahimabad M, Rasoulzadeh Tabatabaei S K. The Impact of a Psychological Training Package on Patterns of Self-Destructive Behaviors Among Students at Herat University, Afghanistan. J. Ilam Uni. Med. Sci. 2025; 33 (4) :17-29
URL: http://sjimu.medilam.ac.ir/article-1-8433-en.html

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