Boosting Identity Development: A Psychededucation Intervention For Young Adults

Abstract

This study evaluates the immediate effects of a one-day, psychoeducation intervention on identity crisis among emerging adults. Grounded in Erikson’s psychosocial theory. The intervention aimed to promote identity exploration and commitment through experiential activities, techniques of psychoeducation that linked with Erickson’s theory. Two groups were taken, Group one was experimental group who took an intervention through psychoeducation whereas group two (control group) was not introduced with any kind of intervention(treatment) as the same scale was filled by 22 students with two days laps. Pre-test/post-test design was employed with 22 participants in each group. A self-report The Identity Development Questionnaire (IDQ) developed by Koen Luyckx and colleagues in 2008 was used as pretest and posttest for measures and comparison.  The results of the participants of experimental group showed significant improvements in identity-related outcomes following the intervention. As t = -11 as post-test scores are significantly higher than pre-test scores. The t-test was highly significant (p < .001), showed strong evidence the intervention improved identity scores. A paired-sample Cohen’s d was calculated to assess the size of the change in identity scores before and after the intervention. The result was d = 2.52, indicating a very large effect. For control group the results from the pre-test and post-test scores of 22 students, who received no intervention, reveal no significant overall improvement. Some students showed slight gains, others experienced decreases, and several remained unchanged. As with (Post-Pre): ≈ -0.09 which showed very negligible mean difference.