56 EFFECT OF OBSERVATION AND EXPERIMENTAL INTERVENTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EDUCATION ON COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS

Abstract Background Mental disorders are becoming increasingly prominent among college students, which seriously affect students’ academic performance, social ability and overall mental health. Psychoeducation as a systematic intervention has shown potential to improve emotional regulation and mental flexibility. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of psychological education on college students with mental disorders through observation and experiment, and to evaluate its role in relieving symptoms, improving emotional regulation ability and enhancing mental flexibility. Methods Recruit 30 college students with mental disorders during the observation phase and record their behavior, emotional state, and symptom manifestations for a period of 4 weeks. Through individual interviews and questionnaires, the common emotional distress and coping patterns were understood to provide basic data for the formulation of intervention programs. In the experimental stage, a randomized controlled trial was used, and 60 college students who met the enrollment criteria were randomly divided into 30 intervention group and 30 control group. Both groups received regular psychological support, the control group did not participate in further intervention, and the intervention group received an 8-week psychological education course on this basis. The intervention group’s psycho-educational program consisted of eight weekly, 90-minute group counseling sessions covering emotional regulation, stress management, and self-worth clarification. Before and after the intervention, the Baker Depression Scale, Cognitive Emotion Regulation questionnaire and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire were used to evaluate. The measured data before and after the intervention were processed by SPSS software. Paired sample T-test was used to compare the intervention effect within the group, independent sample T-test was used to compare the difference between the two groups, and the effect size was calculated at the same time. Results The intervention group had an overall participation rate of 92%, with 90% of participants reporting that the course helped them better understand and manage emotions. Depression symptoms were significantly reduced in the intervention group, and the score of Baker Depression Scale decreased from 25.6±5.3 before intervention to 15.9±4.2 (P<0.001), with a reduction rate of 38%. There was no significant change in the control group, and the score of Beck depression scale decreased from 26.2±5.8 to 25.4±5.6 (P>0.05). The positive strategy score of cognitive emotion regulation in the intervention group increased from 59.2±7.3 to 72.4±6.1, with an increase rate of 22.3% (P<0.001). The negative strategy score of cognitive emotion regulation decreased from 45.7±8.5 to 34.9±6.7, with a reduction rate of 23.6% (P<0.001). Discussion The study shows that psychoeducational intervention has a significant effect on improving the emotional regulation and mental flexibility of college students with mental disorders. The intervention helps participants adjust their cognitive patterns and improve their ability to cope with negative emotions through systematic curriculum content. Compared with traditional psychological support, psychological education provides more targeted skills training and self-management methods. The study further verifies the key role of psychological education in promoting the mental health of college students, and can provide some theoretical support for mental health nursing.