The Effectiveness of Self-Compassion and Resilience Training on Academic Well-Being and Perceived Stress in Students with Aggression Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Adolescent aggression is a significant social and psychological concern with widespread implications, highlighting the need for effective interventions. Objectives: This randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of resilience training versus self-compassion training on academic well-being and perceived stress in female middle school students with aggression symptoms. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest-1-month follow-up design. The statistical population consisted of all female middle school students in Ahvaz during the 2024 - 2025 academic year. Participants were screened using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), and a sample of 45 students scoring above the clinical cutoff for aggression symptoms was selected via cluster random sampling, with sample size determined to detect medium effect sizes (power = 0.80, α = 0.05). Participants underwent simple randomization to one of three groups: a resilience training experimental group (n = 15), a self-compassion training experimental group (n = 15), or a control group (n = 15). Resilience training consisted of 10 weekly 90-minute sessions, while self-compassion training involved 8 weekly 90-minute sessions. Data were collected using the Academic Well-Being Questionnaire and the Perceived Stress Scale. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS version 27. Results: Both resilience training and self-compassion training significantly improved academic well-being (time × group interaction: F = 174.37, P = 0.001, η² = 0.69) and reduced perceived stress (time × group interaction: F = 198.45, P = 0.001, η² = 0.70) compared to the control group, with large effect sizes and sustained effects at 1-month follow-up. No significant difference was found between the two interventions. Conclusion: Both self-compassion and resilience training are effective and sustainable interventions for enhancing academic well-being and mitigating perceived stress in female adolescents with aggression symptoms. The findings suggest that both internal-focused and external-focused coping strategies can be equally beneficial in this population.