The effectiveness of life skills training on the mental health of gifted female students

Dissertation for receiving a master's degree in counseling and guidance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of life skills training on the mental health of bright female students in Kermanshah. The present study was a pilot study of pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this research was made up of bright female high school students of the first year of Kermanshah city in the academic year of 1993-1994. Available sampling method was used to select subjects, so that 60 students participated in this research. Subjects were randomly assigned in two groups of 30 people (one experimental group and one control group). The experimental group received life skills training in 10 sessions, while the control group was not given this training. The instrument used in this study was the GHQ General Health Questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. The results showed that after the intervention, the average mental health scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group. Also, the mental health scores of the experimental group were significant in the subscales of physical symptoms, anxiety, impairment in social functioning, and depression. The life skills training program improved the mental health of high-intelligence students and reduced their physical symptoms, anxiety, impairment in social functioning, and depression. Therefore, planning to provide life skills training to these students is very important. The findings highlight the importance and necessity of including the life skills training program in improving the mental health of students.

Key words: life skills, mental health, intelligent students.

Introduction

In the process of their growth and development, children and adolescents learn communication skills and how to deal with life challenges, which is the foundation of the personality of people in adulthood. Since these ages spend most of their time in educational environments, it is clear that these spaces have important effects on the mental health [1] of students in the future. Especially the teenage age, which is considered one of the important and prominent stages of social and psychological growth and development of a person, and the need for emotional and emotional balance, acquiring the necessary social skills in making friends, knowing a healthy life and how to enjoy it, are among the most important needs (Shaarinejad, 2018). Today, in spite of profound cultural changes and changes in the way of life, unfortunately, many people lack the necessary abilities to face life's problems, and this has made them vulnerable in facing everyday problems and their requirements, and considering the essential role of schools in preparing students to enter society and accept different social roles, it seems necessary to emphasize and pay more attention to the effect of teaching life skills on students.

Skills Life[2] are skills that are used to improve the level of communication, increase decision-making power, management, self-understanding and working in a group. In teaching life skills, subjects and topics are taught that help to improve the quality of life (Khodabakhsh and Mansouri, 2018).

Teaching life skills refers to a set of abilities that provide the basis for the adaptation of positive and useful behavior and this ability enables a person to effectively face the demands, expectations and daily problems in interpersonal relationships while accepting his social responsibilities without harming himself and others (Karim). Zadeh, 1388).

As a result, with the emergence of positive and healthy behaviors, many health problems can be prevented. Therefore, helping children grow and expand the skills needed for a good life, creating or increasing self-confidence in dealing with problems, as well as helping them grow and develop the emotions and social skills necessary for successful adaptation to the social environment and an effective and productive life seems necessary (Shaarinejad, 2018). Therefore, considering the importance of life skills with various goals of prevention and improving the level of mental health, the necessity of teaching such skills to children is obvious to us. Especially in addition to directing the hidden talents of gifted children, schools should provide the necessary conditions for nurturing and creating creative thinking and developing the abilities of gifted students, which is one of the most effective measures in this field of teaching life skills.A highly intelligent student needs these skills to communicate with the outside world, solve problems, create works of art, initiate action, and social harmony (Ajei, 2013). But today the definition of health has changed and a healthy person is someone who is mentally and socially healthy. The term mental health[3] is a term that is used to express a specific goal for society.

Each culture seeks mental health based on its own criteria. The goal of every society is to prepare conditions that guarantee the health of its members, and mental health is a part of overall health. Mental health is a type of health that refers to a specific part of a human being such as intelligence, mind, present, psyche, soul and these categories. Mental health has a direct effect on the whole health and is not a separate part of the organism (Branden, 1990, translated by Hashemi, 1374). Because the psyche is related to the whole human being and it becomes possible when a person does not have any unpleasant or undesirable feelings about life and others, including doctors, consider him to be normal, so the feeling of mental security, happiness on time, enough sleep and food and energy can indicate mental health (Ahmedvand, 2008).

The World Health Organization 2 (WHO) defines mental health as follows:

Complete physical, mental and social and not just the absence of illness or disability (Ganji, 2012).                                                      

There are differences of opinion about the concept of mental health among psychologists, but one of the relatively accepted definitions in this regard is that a person has the lowest level of mental deficiencies (Navidi, 2016). General health3 is an index that shows the level of personal ability in facing environmental - social, emotional or physical demands. Therefore, mental health should not be confused with mental illness. Mental health is the study of a person's mental state before the disease (Milani Far, 2009). In this way, mental health reveals the mental state that is characterized by peace, harmony, and mental inclusion, and is recognized by the absence of signs of disability and weakness in any mental and physical dimension in a person.

1-2- Statement of the problem

The World Health Organization has defined life skills as follows: The ability to perform adaptive and positive behavior in such a way that a person can cope with the challenges and necessities of his daily life. In general, life skills are abilities that lead to improving the mental health of people in the community, enriching human relationships, increasing health and healthy behaviors at the community level. Life skills can be used both as a solution to improve mental health and as a tool to prevent psycho-social harms affecting the society such as addiction, domestic and social violence, child abuse, suicide, AIDS and similar cases. In general, life skills are a strong tool in the hands of the guardians of the mental health of society in order to empower young people in psycho-social dimensions and to improve the mental health level of themselves and society. In this regard, he has introduced ten skills as the main life skills, including: decision-making [4], problem solving 2, creative thinking 3, critical thinking 4, the ability to establish effective communication 5, the ability to create and maintain interpersonal relationships 6, self-awareness 7, empathy 8, coping with excitement 9, coping with pressure 10 (Gasemzadeh, 2013).

Life skills training improves mental abilities. - It becomes social. These abilities help a person to effectively deal with conflicts and life situations, and help him to act positively and harmoniously with other people, society, culture and his environment and ensure his mental health. In this way, life skills will strengthen or change positive and healthy attitudes, values ??and behaviors, and many health problems can be prevented (Haqighi, Mousavi, Mehrabizadeh, Bashlideh, 2015).

Currently, mental health can be considered as the ability to grow and expand intellectual and spiritual emotions, communicate with others including peers and adults, participate in educational and social activities, and be flexible in the face of difficulties. Life skills training plays an essential role in mental health, although it will play a more prominent role when it is provided at an appropriate age.