Comparing the ability of skills and resilience training to solve life problems and manage stress in adolescents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T 

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of life skills training and resilience training on adolescents’ problem-solving ability and stress management. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest–posttest design and a control group. The statistical population included all high school students (second grade) in Kerman during the 2024–2025 academic year, and the research sample consisted of 45 students who were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 students in each group). Data collection instruments included the Problem-Solving Inventory developed by Heppner and Petersen (1982) and the Coping Strategies Inventory by Kobin et al. (1990). The first experimental group received life skills training in twelve 90-minute sessions, while the second experimental group received resilience training in ten 75-minute sessions (Bron et al., 2023). The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS-26. The results showed that both life skills and resilience training had a significant and very strong effect on enhancing adolescents’ problem-solving skills (F = 10673.95, p < 0.001, η² = 0.998) and stress management (F = 14196.89, p < 0.001, η² = 0.998). Pairwise comparison results indicated that both interventions (resilience and life skills) led to significant improvements compared to the control group. However, the effect of life skills training (17.5) was slightly greater than that of resilience training (15.4), although the difference between them was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that life skills and resilience training effectively improve adolescents' problem-solving and stress management abilities. Both interventions had significant effects compared to the control group, indicating that strengthening psychological skills and personal resources can play an important role in promoting adolescents' mental health. Given that the effect of life skills training was slightly greater than resilience training, the combined or coordinated use of these two approaches can be suggested as an effective strategy in school intervention programs to empower adolescents.