Comparison of the Effectiveness of Compassion-focused Therapy with Short-term Solution-focused Therapy on Cognitive Emotion Regulation and High-risk Behaviors in male Students with Self- injurious Behaviors

Introduction: elf-injury is a significant issue during adolescence, leading to numerous psychological and social consequences, and is observed across most cultures.The prevalence of self-injurious behaviors among teenagers is alarmingly high, making it a serious concern.This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and short-term solution-focused therapy (STSFT) in improving cognitive emotion regulation and reducing high-risk behaviors among male students exhibiting self-injurious behaviors. Materials and Methods:The study employed a semi-experimental design, incorporating pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases with a control group.The study population comprised male middle school students in Tabriz, exhibiting self-injurious behaviors, during the 1402-1403 academic year.A total of 45 students were selected using a targeted non-random sampling method and were then randomly assigned to three groups, with 15 participants in each group.The members of the CFT group and the STSFT received their specific intervention in 8 and 6 sessions of 1.5 hours, respectively.The control group did not receive any treatment.Results: No significant differences were observed in the pre-test scores of cognitive emotion regulation and high-risk behaviors between the experimental and control groups.The results indicated that, in the post-test, both CFT and STSFT improved cognitive emotion regulation and reduced high-risk behaviors in male students with selfinjurious behaviors, compared to the control group.The effect of CFT and STSFT on cognitive emotion regulation and high-risk behaviors was lasting in the follow-up phase.In addition, the effect of CFT and STSFT on cognitive emotion regulation and high-risk behaviors in post-test and follow-up was not significant.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that both CFT and STSFT effectively enhanced cognitive emotion regulation and reduced high-risk behaviors in male students with self-injurious behaviors.