The effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral counseling program to reduce the severity of eating disorders among secondary school students in the integration schools in the Najran region

Abstract

The aim of this research is to find out the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral counseling program to reduce the severity of eating disorders among secondary school students in integration schools in Najran. The study adopted the descriptive and semi-experimental approach, and its descriptive sample included 200 students, 150 of whom were normal students and 50 of whom were students with mental disabilities. The experimental sample included 40 normal female students and 20 female students with mental disabilities, based on their scores in the eating disorders scale, and were distributed into two experimental and control groups. The study used the eating disorders scale and a cognitive-behavioral counseling program as tools for data collection and analysis prepared by the researcher. The results of the study revealed an average prevalence of eating disorders among normal female students, as anorexia nervosa was the most common among them, while the prevalence of eating disorders was high among students with mental disabilities, as bulimia nervosa was the most common among them. Differential analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the degrees of eating disorders before and after applying the program in favor of the experimental group. The study concluded that the cognitive-behavioral counseling program has a positive impact in reducing the severity of eating disorders in this group of female students. Accordingly, the study reached some recommendations, including the introduction of concepts and methods of healthy nutrition and mental health in the school curricula and in extra-curricular activities. And spreading awareness of the seriousness of eating disorders on the health of students and their ability to learn. And the implementation of this simplified program in schools to reduce the severity of eating disorders for the largest number of students. And training specialists in schools on the techniques of cognitive behavioral counseling to be used in the treatment of cases of eating disorders.