A Clinical Trial for Reduction of Test Anxiety in a Group of Adolescents

Objectives : Test anxiety is a situation dependent anxiety that can cause a significant reduction in the ability of people in dealing with tests or assessments. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of cognitive- behavioral methods in the form of group education on the reduction of test anxiety in high school adolescents in the city of Fasa (Fars province, Iran). Method : 30 boys and 30 girls in a unisex group therapy scheme (boys and girls separately, each group containing 15 individuals), participated in 10 group therapy sessions with cognitive-behavioral methods. Intervention methods included programs for training muscle relaxation and cognitive therapy for confronting stress. Results : Comparison of the results of the pretest and post-test revealed a decrease in the level of anxiety in the subjects to one third of the primary level, which remained constant until two months after dis- continuing the approach. The effect was higher in girls than in boys. Group therapy had a significant effect on the increase in the scores of participants' self-esteem (p<0.001). Conclusion : Different methods of cognitive- behavioral group therapy can be effective in decreasing