Effectiveness of Assertive Therapy for Parents in Managing Adolescent Emotions.

Résumé

BACKGROUND: Adolescents experienced significant psychosocial stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic due to movement restrictions, social isolation, and disruptions in routine, which adversely affected emotional regulation. As primary caregivers, parents play a critical role in supporting adolescents' emotional well-being, particularly during prolonged home confinement. Assertiveness training may enhance parents' ability to manage adolescents' emotional responses by improving communication, emotional control, and problem-solving skills.OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of assertiveness training for parents in improving their ability to manage adolescents' emotional regulation.METHODS: This study employed a quantitative quasi-experimental design with a control group. A total of 92 parents were recruited and allocated to either the intervention group (n = 46) or the control group (n = 46) using simple random sampling. The intervention consisted of assertiveness training delivered over six structured sessions, focusing on enhancing parents' assertive communication and emotional management strategies in addressing adolescent problems. Outcome measures assessed parents' ability to manage adolescent emotions before and after the intervention.RESULTS: Participants ranged in age from 22 to 65 years, with the largest proportion aged 43-45 years. Most respondents were married (82.6%), had adolescent daughters (43.4%), and had attained a low educational level (80.4%). Post-intervention analysis demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in parents' ability to manage adolescent emotions in the intervention group compared with the control group (p