Effectiveness of Positive Psychotherapy on Emotional Exhaustion and Cognitive Avoidance in Adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy in reducing emotional exhaustion and cognitive avoidance among female adolescents with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of female lower-secondary-school adolescents with obsessive-compulsive symptoms attending non-governmental schools in Neka during the 2025 academic year. Thirty eligible participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group received 10 sessions of positive psychotherapy, whereas the control group received no intervention and continued routine school activities. Data were collected using the Maslach and Jackson Emotional Exhaustion Questionnaire, the Sexton and Dugas Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire, and the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents. The Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests were used to examine statistical assumptions, and the hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance in SPSS version 26. After controlling for pretest scores, ANCOVA indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in posttest emotional exhaustion scores (F(1,26)=59.12, p<.001, η²=.83), demonstrating a significant reduction in emotional exhaustion following positive psychotherapy. A significant between-group difference was also found for posttest cognitive avoidance (F(1,26)=16.72, p<.001, η²=.88), indicating that the intervention significantly reduced cognitive avoidance compared with the control condition. Positive psychotherapy appears to be an effective psychological intervention for reducing emotional exhaustion and cognitive avoidance in adolescents with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. By strengthening positive emotions, optimism, hope, personal strengths, and more adaptive responses to distressing internal experiences, this approach may reduce maladaptive emotional and cognitive processes associated with obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Accordingly, positive psychotherapy may be considered a useful complementary intervention in school counseling programs and adolescent clinical services.