The Effectiveness of Cognitive Restructuring on Depression among University Students: Neo-CBT Case Study

Abstract

Nowadays, depression is one of famous mental disorder among university students.This proven by National Institute of Mental Health (2012) many people experience the first symptom of depression during their college years or in other word, young adult years, but many depressed college students are not seeking the help they need. In 2011, about 30 percent of college students were reported feeling so depressed that it was difficult for them to sometimes function (American College Health Association (ACHA), 2012).This research aims to study the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring techniques  university students that experienced depression. This qualitative study uses a case study approach on three students of university students in Malaysia who are suffering from depression. The purpose of this research are i) to identify the thought patterns of students expriencing depression ii) to apply the cognitive restructuring technique to reduce depression among university students iii) to identify effect of the cognitive restructuring technique on feelings and behaviour. The research using this purposive sample consists of three students conducting an interview with the researcher. Partially structured interviews were conducted to see the effectiveness of cognitive restructuring techniques. In addition, observations were also conducted during the interview session. Data forms analyzed using thematic analysis.The findings show that five themes are derived from the research question namely factors of depression, symptoms of depression, negative thoughts, positive thoughts and cognitive restructuring reflections. This study provides implications for counselors and trainees in handling depression cases by applying cognitive restructuring techniques.