Journal of Counselling and Family Therapy

The Impact of a Structured Teaching Program on Enhancing Knowledge About Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among Adolescent Students in Selected PU Colleges in Mysuru

Vasantha Kumar K — 2026-03-02

Aims & Objectives: The goal of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching programme on knowledge regarding body dysmorphic disorder among adolescence students at selected PU colleges in Mysuru.

Methods: The effectiveness of a Structured Teaching Program (STP) on adolescents' knowledge of body dysmorphic disorder was assessed using a pre-experimental pre-test post-test design at a few PU colleges in Mysuru. A structured knowledge questionnaire was created and used to assess the program's efficacy. In collaboration with guidelines and specialists in the fields of statistics, psychiatry, and nursing, the validity of the data was confirmed and its reliability (R=0.68) assessed. The study was carried out at Maharaja Bifurcated PU College in Nazarbad, Mysuru, and the Government PU College for Girls in People Park, Mysuru. 360 adolescents were chosen using a straightforward non-probability selection approach. To get the necessary information, a structured knowledge questionnaire was used. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data.

Result: The mean post-test knowledge score (16.75) was greater than the mean pre-test knowledge score (8.35), according to data analysis. There is a substantial difference between the knowledge gain scores, suggesting that the organised training program is successful, as shown by the computed paired t-test value (t=67.911) being larger than the table value (P>0.05, df 359). Adolescent students' genders, age, religion, location of residence, and prior awareness of body dysmorphic disorder did not correlate, according to calculated χ2 values.

Interpretation and Conclusion: According to this research, adolescents from a few PU colleges in Mysuru responded well to an organised education program on understanding body dysmorphic disorder.

A Study on the Assessment of the Efficacy of the Assertiveness and Self-Esteem Skill Training Among Adolescents in a Select School in Nadia, West Bengal

Paramita Chatterjee — 2026-03-27

social changes. Adolescents are more susceptible to stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, aggressive behaviour, and substance abuse because of emotional instability, family dynamics, and peer influence. Assertive skill and self-esteem training is a structured psychological intervention that helps the individual to express their feelings, emotions, and needs in the right way. Assertiveness and self-esteem training enables adolescents to develop important life skills that help them adjust to peer pressure and social expectations, foster interpersonal relationships, and enhance overall mental well-being. A pre-experimental pre-test post-test research design was used in this study. 40 (forty) adolescents were selected from a selected school in Nadia district. The ‘Rosenberg self-esteem scale’ was adopted to assess self-esteem, and the ‘Rathus assertiveness schedule’ was adopted to assess assertiveness. The present study found that, before administration, only 15% of adolescents had a moderate assertiveness level, and 85% were non-assertive, whereas only 20% had normal self-esteem and 80% had low self-esteem. After the administration of the skill training programme, the levels of assertiveness and self-esteem increased by 87.5% and 92.5%, respectively. This study concludes the need to conduct an assertive skill and self-esteem training programme to increase the assertive level and to prevent adolescents emotional and behavioural problems that are related to low self-esteem and assertiveness in schools. So, school is an ideal place for the prompt detection and management of adolescent problems and the implementation of an assertive skill and self-esteem training programme.

AI-Enabled IoT-Based Monitoring for Early Detection of Stress and Depression

Shubham Nanal — 2026-03-28

Stress and depression are among the most common mental health challenges worldwide, yet they often go unnoticed until symptoms reach a clinical severity. Traditional diagnostic methods primarily rely on self-reported assessments and infrequent clinical observations, which can be subjective, episodic, and ineffective at capturing subtle daily behavioural and physiological changes. While recent advancements in wearable and mobile technology allow for continuous data collection, existing monitoring systems face limitations related to low accuracy of indicators, individual variability, data noise, privacy concerns, and insufficient clinical interpretability. This study proposes an AI-driven, IoT-based smart mental health monitoring framework that integrates multimodal sensing with machine learning for continuous behavioural and physiological analysis. The system collects data on activity patterns, sleep behaviour, heart rate variability (HRV), and environmental context, comparing observations against personalized baseline profiles to detect individual deviations. Adaptive predictive models categorize mental states into three groups: Normal Condition, Moderate Stress Risk, and High Depression Risk, while SHAP-based explainable AI outputs enhance clinical transparency. The evaluation was conducted using simulated physiological and behavioural datasets generated from established clinical reference ranges. Among four machine learning classifiers, the Neural Network achieved the highest performance on 350 test samples, yielding an accuracy of 94.0%, precision of 93.7%, recall of 93.0%, and an F1 score of 93.3%, with an ROC-AUC of 0.981. HRV and the Sleep Disruption Index were identified as the most predictive features, together accounting for 43.9% of the total SHAP weight. Longitudinal monitoring over a simulated 90-day period confirmed the framework's capability to detect gradual psychological decline before clinical thresholds are surpassed. Compared to traditional assessment benchmarks reported in previous literature, the proposed system exhibited a reduction in false alert rates from 22.4% to 6.2% and a decrease in mean time to detection from 18.6 days to 4.3 days.

Prevalence Rate of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder and Its Contributing Factors Among Working and Non-Working Women in Selected Central Districts, Kerala

Neeethu George — 2026-04-06

Women's well-being is significantly impacted by their sexual health, which is influenced by biological, psychological, and social variables. A chronic absence of sexual desire that interferes with interpersonal and personal relationships is the hallmark of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). The impact of employment status on women's sexual health is not well studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and contributing factors of HSDD in women who work and those who do not.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 722 married women aged 18–58 years in selected central districts of Kerala. An equal number of participants were divided into working and non-working groups. Structured questionnaires were used to gather data on sexual function domains, such as desire, orgasm, and satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used in the statistical study to identify correlations.

Results: As age and length of employment increased, sexual desire, orgasmic function, and intercourse satisfaction declined. Compared to women who did not work, employed women reported greater rates of sexual aversion (34.3%) and suppressed sexual desire (40%). On the other hand, a greater percentage of women who did not work reported having no sexual problems (51.2%). A significant association was found between employment status and sexual dysfunction (p < 0.001). Additionally, a considerable number of participants reported discomfort in communicating sexual feelings with their partners.

Conclusion: The study highlights that age and employment-related factors, particularly work stress, may negatively influence women’s sexual health. Employed women are more vulnerable to certain forms of sexual dysfunction. Promoting awareness, reducing occupational stress, and encouraging open communication between partners are essential to improve sexual well-being.

Influence of Poor Eating Habits on Emotional Regulation and Psychological Health Outcomes Among Adolescents: Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Nayera Masoodi — 2026-04-13

The sudden lifestyle changes, eating more fast food, and school demands have changed the eating habits among adolescents, and it has led to concerns over their psychological health. The current research investigates the association between bad eating habits and mental health in adolescents living in North India, with a mediating factor of emotional regulation and a moderating factor of mindfulness. This research, based on self-regulation theory, affect regulation models, and mindfulness theory, suggests an integrated mediation-moderation model to understand how and under what circumstances poor dietary habits affect mental health conditions. A cross-section survey concerning 513 adolescents in colleges and universities in North India. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse data. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses determined scale validity and reliability. Findings showed that inappropriate dieting was a strong predictor of negative mental health. This relationship was mediated partially by emotional regulation, and this relationship implies that unhealthy patterns of diet will hamper the emotional management processes, which in their turn will amplify the psychological distress. Also, mindfulness was found to have a moderating effect on the overall effect, such that an increase in mindfulness minimized the negative effects of poor eating habits on mental health. The model explained a substantial percentage of the variation in mental health. The results highlight the significance of incorporating nutritional awareness, emotional regulation education, and mindfulness-based treatments into mental health programs for adolescents. The study adds regional specifics by offering empirical data in North India as well as contributing to the theoretical knowledge of behavioural and psychological pathways that can affect adolescent well-being.