Effectiveness of Goal-Setting Intervention in Aggressive and Depressive Behavior among Adolescents in the Correction and Rehabilitation Center of Tehran

Background: The presence of both depression and aggression, or even one of these factors, can exert numerous negative effects on the education and skills of adolescents. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the goal-setting intervention in adolescents’ aggressive and depressive behavior with a special focus on adolescents in Tehran Correction and Rehabilitation Center in the year 2021. Methods: The quasi-experimental study was conducted based on a pre-test, post-test, and control group design with a one-month follow-up. A total of 30 adolescents living in the Correctional Center of Tehran Province present in the center before imprisonment were selected by the convenience sampling method. Teenagers in the experimental group received the goal-setting intervention (Locke Latham, 2004) in 10 one-hour sessions twice a week, and adolescents in both groups responded to the Youth Self-Report Scale (YSR)  (Ashnbach Rescorla, 2001) in three stages. Data analysis was performed using analysis of covariance. Results: The results of repeated measures analysis of variance test demonstrated that goal-setting intervention exerted a marked effect on aggression and depression in adolescents, and this effect remained stable in the follow-up phase (P 0.01). Conclusion: As evidenced by research findings, goal-setting intervention can be used to reduce aggressive and depressive behavior.