The Effectiveness of Executive Function Training on Emotional Self-Regulation in Adolescents Aged 14–20 with Developmental Intellectual Disability
Keywords:
Emotional Self-Regulation, Executive Functions, Developmental Intellectual Disability, Cognitive Training, AdolescentsAbstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of executive function training in improving emotional self-regulation among adolescents with developmental intellectual disability. This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of adolescents aged 14–20 years with developmental intellectual disability studying in special education schools in Kashan, Iran. Thirty participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n=15 each). The experimental group received a 12-session executive function training program including emotion recognition, emotion regulation strategies, planning and organization, cognitive flexibility, problem solving, inhibitory control, and cognitive rehabilitation exercises, whereas the control group received routine educational services only. Data were collected using the Hofmann and Kashdan Emotional Self-Regulation Questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS software. ANCOVA results indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in posttest emotional self-regulation scores after controlling for pretest effects (p<0.001). Executive function training significantly improved emotional self-regulation, with an effect size demonstrating that approximately 51% of the variance in emotional self-regulation changes was attributable to the intervention. The findings suggest that executive function training represents an effective cognitive-rehabilitative intervention for enhancing emotional self-regulation in adolescents with developmental intellectual disability by strengthening higher-order cognitive processes, improving behavioral control, and promoting adaptive emotional functioning.
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