Social Psychology Research

Abstract Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of social-emotional competence training on mental toughness, empathy, and school belonging among female students with antisocial behaviors. Method: This research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group. The statistical population consisted of all female high school students in Khorramabad with antisocial behaviors during the 2024–2025 academic year. A sample of 30 students was selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants per group). The experimental group received social-emotional competence training across ten 90-minute sessions. Data collection instruments included the Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire (Burt & Donnellan, 2009), the Basic Empathy Scale for Children and Adolescents (2010), the Short Version of the Mental Toughness Questionnaire (Papageorgiou et al., 2019), and the School Belonging Scale (Brown & Evans, 2002). Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS version 26. Results: The ANCOVA results indicated that social-emotional competence training led to a significant increase in mental toughness (p < .001), empathy (p < .001), and school belonging (p < .001) in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The findings suggest that social-emotional competence training can serve as an effective approach for enhancing mental health and reducing antisocial behaviors among female students. Based on these results, it is recommended that such training be integrated into preventive and intervention programs within schools.

Abstract Introduction: Antisocial behaviors—characterized by actions that violate social norms and laws, such as aggression, violence, and property damage—can have severe consequences for adolescents, including academic struggles, social difficulties, and legal repercussions. These behaviors also harm interpersonal relationships with family and peers. This study examined the mediating role of vengeful tendencies in the relationship between effortful control and antisocial behavior among adolescents in Shiraz, Iran.  Method: The study population included all high school students in Shiraz during the 2022-2023 academic year. A sample of 567 students was selected using multi-stage cluster random sampling. Participants completed validated measures of Effortful Control (Ellis & Rothbart, 2001), Vengeful Tendencies (Flores-Camacho et al., 2022), and Antisocial Behavior (Burt & Donnellan, 2009). Path analysis was conducted using SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 to test the proposed model.  Results: The model demonstrated good fit. Findings revealed significant direct effects of effortful control on vengeful tendencies (p = 0.000, β = -0.51), effortful control on antisocial behavior (p = 0.000, β = -0.11), and vengeful tendencies on antisocial behavior (p = 0.000, β = 0.13). Additionally, vengeful tendencies mediated the relationship between effortful control and antisocial behavior (p = 0.000, β = -0.29) at the 0.01 level.  Conclusion: The results suggest that improving effortful control may reduce vengeful tendencies and, consequently, antisocial behaviors in adolescents.