The effectiveness of group counseling based on problem-solving on aggression and social adjustment in hearing-impaired students

Background and Aim: One of the common behavioral disorders of hearing-impaired child­ren is aggressive behavior, which can affect soc­ial adjustment in their adolescence. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of group counseling based on problem-solving on aggression and social adjustment of hearing-impaired students. Methods: This study is quasi-experimental with pretest posttest design and a control group. The study population was all adolescents with hear­ing impairment referred to Yazd Speech The­rapy Centers, Yazd City, Iran. A total of 30 stu­dents were selected from the referred hearing-impaired students with high aggression and low social adjustment. Then they were randomly assigned into control (n = 15) and experimental (n = 15) groups. The study instruments were the California social behavior and Buss and Perry aggression inventory. The group couns­eling based on problem-solving intervention consisted of 7 one-hour sessions, presented for the experimental group. We analyzed the obtai­ned data by repeated measures analysis of cova­riance. Results: Group therapy based on problem-solving can reduce aggression (p < 0.001) and increase social adjustment (p = 0.04). Conclusion: The professionals in this field are recommended to use group therapy based on problem-solving.