Psycho Education and Students' Self-Esteem

The aim of this study was to find out whether psychoeducation programs are an effective psycho-intervention to increase students' self-esteem. To investigate this research question, six classes (203 students) were randomly selected from 20 classes (700 students) in Grade 11 of Chear Sim Samaky High School, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Members of these classes completed a general survey and tests of self-esteem and other relevant factors. Three classes (99 students) were selected to participate in a four-session psychoeducation program. A week later, these students participated in focus groups that were run by a psychologist to investigate whether the students felt that psychoeducation was useful and if their self-esteem had increased. The results indicated that most students felt satisfied with the program and around 70% of the students who attended a focus group reported that their self-esteem had increased through the intervention program while some others reported that they had learned how to improve their self-esteem. Based on these results, it appears that a psychoeducation program is an effective intervention to improve students' self-esteem.