DIALECTIC BEHAVIOUR THERAPYAND ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING IN MANAGING CHALLENGES OF MENTAL HEALTH AMONG ADOLESCENTS WHO ABUSE SUBSTANCES IN PORT-HARCOURT METROPOLIS

Abstract

One of the rapidly growing global concerns today is the abuse of various substances that are linked with mental health with significant threat to the psychosocial challenges common in Nigeria. One of the pertinent problems is the occurrence among adolescents in Senior Secondary School Two (2) in Port Harcourt Metropolis. Assertiveness Training and Dialectic behaviour therapy in managing
challenges of mental health among adolescents who abuse substances and are verbally aggressive in the Port-Harcourt metropolis, was examined in this study. Quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test designs were adopted. There were two treatment groups and one control group. Dialectic behaviour therapy was assigned to group one, group two was assigned to assertiveness training
while the third group which was not assigned to treatment was the control group. The sample size was 75 students, 38 females and 37 males, selected using a multistage sampling technique. The verbal aggression questionnaire, Warwick Edinburg Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) and Car, relax, alone, forget, family/friends trouble (CRAFFT) instruments were used to collect relevant data.
Two research questions and corresponding two hypotheses guided the study. Data collected were analysed using Mean, Standard Deviation, Mean Difference and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The study observed that significant differences exist in the psychosocial problems of adolescents as a result of the interventions. Assertiveness Training made more impact in the reduction of verbal aggression of adolescents' than DBT despite the treatment having a significant impact on their reduction. Both genders showed similar reductions in their verbal aggression, as a result of the experimental conditions. One of the recommendations provided was that all adolescent secondary school students should be exposed to assertiveness training as part of class learning.