Cognitive behavioral therapy for challenges to quitting tobacco smoking among social science and religion students.

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoking is a public health issue. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on the disputation of challenges to quitting tobacco smoking among students enrolled in the Social Science and religious Education programmes. METHODS: The study adopted a pretest-posttest randomized controlled group design with follow-up. The population comprised of 76 tobacco smokers (randomized into 1 of 2 groups: n = 38 for the treatment group, n = 38 for the waitlist control group) completed the study. A self-report scale measuring dependence on cigarettes was used as the outcome measure. The treatment group was exposed to a 12-weeks CBT intervention. The treatment and waitlisted groups were evaluated at 3 time points: pretest, post-test, and follow-up. Statistical analyses were achieved using ANOVA. RESULTS: The result showed that CBT had a significant effect in reducing the challenges to quitting tobacco smoking among the student smokers in the treatment group in comparison with the waitlist control group. The positive behavioral gains after the CBT program also persisted at follow-up in the treatment group compared with the waitlist control group. CONCLUSION: Therefore, this study suggests that CBT intervention is a time-effective treatment method for disputation of challenges to quitting tobacco smoking among students enrolled in the Social Science and Religious Education Programmes.

Cognitive-behaviour intervention for critical thinking disposition of religion and social science students.

BACKGROUND: The dispositions of students towards critical thinking (CT) no doubt improve their clinical practice and performance. Hence, efforts to explore ways to help students become aware and conscious of the need for CT are imperative for their self-actualization, development, and improved professional practice. It is worrisome that in spite of the limited intervention addressing CT disposition challenges, scholars are yet to study the problem, especially in developing countries. METHODS: In view of that, we assessed how CT disposition can be improved among students enrolled in cognitive-behavioral reflective training programme (CBRT-P) using a group-randomized control study with three months follow-up. To achieve this, 163 students were allocated to different groups. The recruited participants were exposed to CBRT-P. RESULTS: Repeated-measures analysis performed shows that at the posttest, the mean CT disposition scores of the participants enrolled in CBRT-programme (treatment group) were significantly greater compared to the counterpart group that is the comparison group. At the third assessment, the mean score of the dependent measure consistently remained higher in favor of the experimental group. CONCLUSION: Given the results, it is concluded that the treatment programme improves the CT disposition of students over time.

Improving quality of family life among Christian parents of children with low vision in Nsukka catholic diocese using rational emotive family health therapy.

BACKGROUND: Most Christian parents living with children with low vision have reported to be experiencing psychological disturbances that are affecting the family health. As a result, the quality of family life is being impaired. The experience of parents catering for children with low vision is mainly influenced by psychosocial factors that could determine the quality of family life of such parents. This present study is to investigate the efficacy of rational emotive family health therapy in reducing poor quality of family life among Christian parents of children with low vision in Nsukka Catholic Dioceses. METHOD: This is a randomized pretest and posttest control trial. Participants were 88 parents of children living with low vision in Nsukka Catholic Dioceses, Nigeria. The power of the sample size was determined using Gpower statistical software. The participants in rational emotive family health therapy programme-group were exposed to a 12-session treatment programme whereas their counterparts in waitlisted control group did not receive anything. A family quality of life scale was utilized in assessing the participants. Data analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: It was found that rational emotive family health therapy had a significant positive effect on increasing quality of family life among the study participants compared to those in the waitlisted control group. CONCLUSION: This study contributed and validated the efficacy of rational emotive family health therapy in improving quality of family life among parents of children with low vision.