title: Effect of a supportive-educative program in the math class for stress, anxiety, and depression in female students in the third level of junior high school: An action research.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Students in junior high school, particularly in the third level, are prone to a variety of stressors. This in turn might lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and other health-related problems. There are a very limited number of action research studies to identify the effect of stress management techniques among students. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the effect of a program used in the math class to decrease the student's level of stress, anxiety, and depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an action research study, which was conducted in region three of the Education and Training Office of Isfahan, in the year 2012. Fifty-one students in a junior high school were selected and underwent a comprehensive stress management program. This program was prepared in collaboration with the students, their parents, teachers, and managers of the school, and was implemented approximately during a four-month period. The student's stress, anxiety, and depression were measured before and after the program using the DASS-21 questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The t-test identified that the mean scores of stress, anxiety, and depression after the intervention were significantly lower than the corresponding scores before the program. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) also showed that the students from the veterans (Janbaz) families had higher levels of stress compared to their classmates, who belonged to the non-veteran families (P< 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Education and implementation of stress management techniques including cognitive and behavioral interventions along with active and collaborative methods of learning in the math class might be useful both inside and outside the class, for better management of stress and other health-related problems of students.
authors.affiliation: Shahed Hakimeh High School, Mathematics Group, District Three of the Education and Training Office of Isfahan, Ministry of Education and Training, Isfahan, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Seyedeh Mahtab
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Emamjomeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Health Nursing, Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahrami
keywords: Action research; Iran; anxiety; depression; mathematics; stress; stress management; student