Effectiveness of Self-Regulation Training on Rejection and Self-Esteem in Students with Depressive Disorder

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of self-regulation training on rejection and self-esteem in students with depressive disorder. Methods and Materials: This research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group structure. The statistical population included students with depressive disorder from District 5 of Tehran in 2024. The research sample consisted of 40 female elementary school students from Toloe Sabz School, selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 20 participants each. The experimental group participated in eight 50-minute weekly group sessions of self-regulation training, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The instruments used in the study included the Depression Inventory developed by Vahedi et al. (2008), the Peer Rejection Questionnaire by Wissel Sarid and Sternberg (2012), and the elementary version of the Butler Self-Esteem Inventory (2012). Findings: The results of the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that, after controlling for the pretest effect, there was a statistically significant difference between the posttest mean scores of peer rejection and self-esteem in the experimental and control groups (p < .05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that self-regulation training effectively reduced rejection and increased self-esteem among students.