Cover
Volume 7, Special Issue 4 (2026)

Published: August 25, 2026

Pages: 125-139

Research Article

The effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral counseling program in reducing anxiety and improving psychological adjustment among adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder

Hussein k. Sumoom 1
1Technical Engineering College, Al-Ain University (Iraq), Dhi Qar, Iraq
History
  • Received: June 13, 2026
  • Available Online: August 25, 2026
DOI

https://doi.org/10.56967/ejfb2026924

Abstract

The current study aimed to experimentally verify the effectiveness of an adapted cognitive-behavioral counseling program in reducing anxiety levels and improving psychological adjustment among adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The significance of this research stems from the psychological and emotional challenges faced by this demographic. The researcher adopted a quasi-experimental approach using a pre-test/post-test/follow-up control group design. The sample consisted of 60 adolescents who were matched and then randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group received a program comprising 10 sessions that incorporated techniques such as cognitive restructuring, relaxation training, problem-solving, and social skills development. Results from the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed statistically significant differences at the level of (α≤0.05) favoring the experimental group in both anxiety (F=24.18, p=0.001, d=1.12) and psychological adjustment (F=18.76, p=0.001, d=0.96). Furthermore, mixed analysis confirmed the sustainability of the therapeutic effect in the follow-up measurement. These findings support the recommendation to adopt such adapted programs in educational institutions and specialized centers to enhance the mental health and quality of life for this population.

Keywords

References

  1. Al-Ghalila, M. K., & Al-Sama, J. M. (2024). Al-takyuf al-nafsī wa-al-ijtimāʿī ladā al-murāhiqīn dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud wa-ʿalāqatuhā bi-mahārāt al-tahyiʾah al-mihaniyyah ladayhim [Psychological and social adjustment among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and its relationship to their vocational preparation skills]. Jerash Journal for Research and Studies, 24(3).
  2. Al-Gharbawi, S. I. M., & Lamia, S. (2020). Fāʿiliyyat barnāmaj qāʾim ʿalā al-ʿilāj bi-al-laʿib fī khafḍ iḍṭirāb al-qalaq al-ijtimāʿī ladā al-aṭfāl dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud [The effectiveness of a play-therapy-based program in reducing social anxiety disorder among children with autism spectrum disorder]. Majallat al-Ṭufūlah wa-al-Tarbiyah (Jāmiʿat al-Iskandariyyah), 43(2), 465–548.
  3. Marzouk, M., Maghawri, G., Ghalati, M., & Mofleh, M. (2019). Faʿāliyyat barnāmaj irshādī ʿaqlānī infiʿālī sulūkī fī khafḍ al-qalaq ladā usar al-aṭfāl dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud [The effectiveness of a rational-emotive behavioral counseling program in reducing anxiety among families of children with autism spectrum disorder]. Majallat al-Tarbiyah al-Khāṣṣah wa-al-Taʾhīl, 9(32, Part 2), 53–82.
  4. Abu Zaitoun, M. S. S. (2021). Athar fāʿiliyyat barnāmaj mustanid ilā al-ʿilāj al-maʿrifī al-sulūkī fī khafḍ aʿrāḍ al-qalaq wa-taḥsīn tanẓīm al-infiʿālāt ladā ʿayyinah min al-murāhiqīn al-nāṭiqīn dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud [The effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral therapy-based program in reducing anxiety symptoms and improving emotion regulation among a sample of verbal adolescents with autism spectrum disorder]. Majallat Ṭanṭā li-l-Dirāsāt al-ʿIlmiyyah al-Akādīmiyyah, 4(1), 645–674.
  5. Abdelsalam, S. G. A. A. (2025). Faʿāliyyat barnāmaj qāʾim ʿalā muʿālajat al-maʿlūmāt al-ijtimāʿiyyah fī taḥsīn al-takyuf al-ijtimāʿī ladā al-aṭfāl dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud [The effectiveness of a social information-processing-based program in improving social adjustment among children with autism spectrum disorder]. Majallat Kulliyyat al-Tarbiyah bi-al-Manṣūrah, 132(3), 699–721.
  6. Abd El-Aal, J. M., Awad, M. H., Mahmoud, M., Ali, A. H., & Emad, A. (2025). Faʿāliyyat barnāmaj qāʾim ʿalā al-mahārāt al-ḥayātiyyah fī taḥsīn baʿḍ al-waẓāʾif al-tanfīdhiyyah wa-atharuhā ʿalā al-mahārāt al-akādīmiyyah ladā tilmīdh dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud [The effectiveness of a life-skills-based program in improving some executive functions and its effect on academic skills among pupils with autism spectrum disorder]. Dirāsāt fī al-Irshād al-Nafsī wa-al-Tarbawī, 8(2), 111–144.
  7. Fathy Galal, I., Jaafar Ali, D., Abdel Moez Anwar Soliman, S., & Sahar, A. (2026). Faʿāliyyat barnāmaj TEACCH li-jadwalat al-nashāṭ al-yawmī fī tanmiyat al-mahārāt al-akādīmiyyah ladā aṭfāl dhawī iḍṭirāb ṭayf al-tawaḥḥud [The effectiveness of the TEACCH program for daily activity scheduling in developing academic skills among children with autism spectrum disorder]. Dirāsāt fī al-Irshād al-Nafsī wa-al-Tarbawī, 9(1), 269–300. Article pageAmerican Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
  8. Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International Universities Press.
  9. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
  10. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  11. Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006
  12. Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.
  13. Mazefsky, C. A., Herrington, J., Siegel, M., Scarpa, A., Maddox, B. B., Scahill, L., & White, S. W. (2013). The role of emotion regulation in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(7), 679–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2013.05.006
  14. Mowrer, O. H. (1947). On the dual nature of learning—A re-interpretation of "conditioning" and "problem-solving". Harvard Educational Review, 17, 102–148.
  15. Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin.
  16. Spence, S. H. (1998). A measure of anxiety symptoms among children. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36(5), 545–566. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00034-5
  17. Ung, D., Selles, R., Small, B. J., & Storch, E. A. (2015). A systematic review and meta-analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety in youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 46(4), 533–547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-014-0497-8
  18. Wood, J. J., Kendall, P. C., Wood, K. S., Kerns, C. M., Seltzer, M., Small, B. J., Lewin, A. B., & Storch, E. A. (2020). Cognitive behavioral treatments for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 77(5), 474–483. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4160