مجید ضرغام حاجبی

INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the adverse events occurring in people exposed to severe traumatic experiences, such as earthquakes. The devastating effects of such events and their associated losses are significantly higher in children and adolescents. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on academic achievement with the moderating role of emotion regulation in earthquake-stricken adolescents with PTSD in Kermanshah. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted based on a pre- and post-test design with control and experimental groups. Among the students who were diagnosed with PTSD in Kermanshah earthquake, 48 cases were selected and assigned to the control and experimental groups. Data collection instruments were Captain's Log cognitive rehabilitation software, and motion Regulation Scale developed by Gratz and Roemer. Students' academic achievement was judged based on the scores obtained from end-of-semester transcripts and teachers' evaluations. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 26). FINDINGS: Based on the results, cognitive rehabilitation is effective in the academic achievement of students with PTSD (P<0.01). Moreover, emotion regulation can moderate the effect of this method on academic achievement (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: As evidenced by the obtained results, cognitive rehabilitation can effectively strengthen cognitive abilities and components related to executive functions. In so doing, it enhances the educational performance of students with PTSD and brings them academic achievement.

Introduction: Academic achievement is one of the main concerns of the educational system of any country, and as a result, any factor that is effective in reducing or increasing its quantity and quality is considered and emphasized by researchers. Psychological damage and stressful accidents have effects on academic achievement. This study aimed to develop a model of structural equations for academic achievement of students with post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) (Kermanshah earthquake) based on cognitive ability; moreover, it was attempted to investigate the mediating role of difficulty in emotion regulation in this regard. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted based on a quantitative and applied research method. The statistical population of the present study includes all students with PSTD in Sarpol Zahab, Kermanshah Province, Iran, in the academic year of 2018-19. In total, 48 cases were selected using the available sampling method. The data were collected using the Capita’s Log software, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and final grades of Persian literature and mathematics courses. Data analysis was performed employing the structural equation modeling (SEM) and Smart PLS software. Findings: The results of this study in the form of a structural model showed that all t-coefficients among the three main constructs were higher than 1.96, which indicates the existence of significant relationships among research variables. In other words, cognitive ability has a direct and significant relationship with the academic achievement of students with PSTD. Moreover, there is a negative relationship between cognitive ability and difficulty in emotion regulation. Conclusion: The results of the present study revealed the direct and significant effect of cognitive ability on the academic achievement of students with PSTD. In addition, an indirect effect of cognitive ability was observed on the academic achievement of these students with a mediating role of difficulty in emotion regulation. The findings of the present study indicate that the improvement of the cognitive ability, as well as the enhancement of the skills related to emotion regulation in students with PSTD, leads to improved academic achievement.