חיזוק תחושת היכולת של מתבגרים בסיכון — מחקר פעולה

Potency, defined as one's self control, self-confidence, and the belief that society is just and significant, is considered to be an important personality resource for coping with life stressors. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of a two stage intervention model, five days of a physically and mentally challenging camp and 24 sessions of group therapy, on the level of potency. The sample consisted of 34 adolescents at risk of drug abuse, divided into two groups: study and comparison groups. Participants were administered self-report questionnaires before and after the intervention. The following scales were measured: potency, self-esteem, optimism, social support from friends and family, and past traumatic experiences. Results indicated that the levels of potency, self-esteem, and optimism were significantly higher in the study group compare to the comparison group. In addition, there was a decline of all the variables in the comparison group at the second time of data collection, indicating that intervention during adolescence is critical.