Enhancing Adolescent's Perception of Harms in Cannabis Use through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group Counseling

Abstract

           The purpose of this research was to enhance adolescent's perception of harms in cannabis use through cognitive behavioral therapy group counseling. The sample included Mathayom 2 students in Chonburi Province, aged between 13-14 years, who voluntarily participated in the research and parents gave their consent. A total of 16 participants took part, divided into an experimental group of 8 and a control group of 8, The research tools included a measure of harm perception in cannabis use. It is a measure developed from the concept of harm perception. and the cognitive behavioral therapy group counseling program consisting of 10 sessions, each taking 45-60 minutes over a duration of 4 weeks, the control group did not receive counseling. Both groups were measured for the perception of harm in using cannabis in 3 phases: the pre-trial phase; Post-trial phase and follow-up phase Data were analyzed using the SPSS, basic statistics analysis and comparison of results.

           The results showed that students who received a program to enhance the perception of harm in cannabis use had higher scores in the perception of harm in cannabis use than the control group in the later stage. The experiment and follow-up period were statistically significant at the.05 level, Students who received a program to enhance the perception of harm in cannabis use had scores of enhance the perception of harm in cannabis use in the post-trial and follow-up periods, higher than the pre-trial period. These finding were statistically significant at the level of .05 It can be concluded that group counseling with cognitive behavioral theory can enhance the perception of harm in cannabis use among adolescents.