The effects of a Depression prevention program on lower secondary school students in Tha Luang District, Lopburi Province
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Abstract
This quasi-experimental research aimed to examine the effects of a depression prevention program integrating emotional intelligence skills among lower secondary school students in Tha Luang District, Lopburi Province. The sample was purposively selected based on depression risk criteria (positive 2Q screening and 9Q scores between 7 and 18), comprising 74 students divided equally into an experimental group (n = 37) and a control group (n = 37). The experimental group participated in a 5-session depression prevention program over 8 weeks, while the control group received routine care. Content validity was confirmed by experts with Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) indices ranging from 0.67 to 0.87, and internal consistency reliability was 0.85. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test, independent t-test, and Chi-square test. The results showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups prior to the intervention regarding the proportion of depression risk, emotional intelligence scores, and depression severity scores (p > 0.05). Post-intervention, the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant increase in mean emotional intelligence scores compared to baseline (p < 0.001) and significantly higher scores than the control group (p < 0.001). Regarding depression, the proportion of students at risk in the experimental group decreased from 48.65% to 21.62%, with a statistically significant reduction in mean depression severity scores (9Q) both within the group (p < 0.001) and compared to the control group (p < 0.001). In contrast, the control group showed no statistically significant changes (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the depression prevention program integrating emotional intelligence skills effectively enhances emotional intelligence and reduces depression severity among lower secondary school students, serving as a proactive mental health intervention model for educational settings.
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