Effects of a Transdiagnostic Emotion Regulation Program on Working Memory in Adolescents with Emotional Disorders and Drug Use History

vatani, sabah; Arjmand Nia, Ali Akbar; Ghasemzade, Sogand; Ghobari-Bonab, Bagher

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Effects of a Transdiagnostic Emotion Regulation Program on Working Memory in Adolescents with Emotional Disorders and Drug Use History

Sabah Vatani

, Ali Akbar Arjmand Nia ^*

, Sogand Ghasemzade

, Bagher Ghobari-Bonab

Department of Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran , arjmandnia@ut.ac.ir

Abstract: (10 Views)

Introduction: Considering the coexistence of emotional disorders and substance abuse in adolescents, as well as the negative impact of these conditions on cognitive functions, including working memory, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an emotion regulation program based on a transdiagnostic approach on the working memory of adolescents with emotional disorders and a history of drug use. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using two groups (experimental and control) among three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The research population included all adolescents with emotional disorders and a history of drug abuse in 2024 who were receiving treatment at addiction rehabilitation centers affiliated with the Tehran Welfare Organization. Twenty-eight adolescents were selected purposively and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (14 participants in each group). The experimental group received 17 sessions of an emotion regulation intervention based on a transdiagnostic approach, while the control group participated only in the center’s regular programs. The research instruments included the Arjomandnia Children’s Working Memory Test (2017) and a demographic information questionnaire, which were administered during the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS version 27. Results: The results revealed that our emotion regulation program increased the mean scores of the central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, and phonological loop in the experimental group compared to the control group. These findings were also observed in the follow-up assessment, indicating the persistence of the effects of the transdiagnostic-based emotion regulation program on the aforementioned components. Conclusion: Given the positive effects of the emotion regulation program based on the transdiagnostic approach, it may be used as an effective method for improving the working memory performance of adolescents with emotional disorders and a history of drug use.

Keywords: Comorbidity, Follow-Up Studies, Surveys and Questionnaires, Substance-Related Disorders

Type of Study: Research --- Open Access, CC-BY-NC | Subject: Psycology

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