The effect of emotion regulation intervention with and without health-promoting behavior training on reducing sensation-seeking in secondary school students

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student in Psychology, Faculty of Humanities Sciences, Semnan branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran.

2 Associate professor in Health Psychology, Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Faculty of Humanities Sciences, Semnan branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities Sciences, Semnan branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran.

10.22098/jsp.2026.17941.6219

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion regulation intervention with and without health-promoting behavior training in reducing sensation-seeking behaviors among high school students in the second grade.
Methods: In a experimental research design using a pretest-posttest control group format, 45 female high school students from the second level of secondary education in Tehran during the 2021–2022 academic year were selected through random cluster sampling from three girls' high schools in District 5. They were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 participants in each group). The first experimental group received eight sessions of emotion regulation intervention, while the second experimental group received both emotion regulation intervention and seven 90-minute sessions of health-promoting behavior training. Data were collected in the pretest and posttest phases using Arnett’s Sensation Seeking Scale and analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Duncan's post hoc test with SPSS-26 software.
Results: The emotion regulation intervention along with and without health-promoting behavior training was effective in reducing sensation-seeking behavior among high school students (p<0.001). The combination of both approaches had an even more significant impact on moderating sensation-seeking behavior.
Conclusion: The use of a combined intervention of emotion regulation intervention with health-promoting behavior training could be a more effective strategy in reducing sensation-seeking in adolescents. These findings highlight the necessity of designing comprehensive psycho-educational programs in schools to reducing sensation-seeking and prevent risky behaviors.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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