The Aim of This Study is to Examine the Effects of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), Delivered to Students of Vocational School of Higher Education, on Hope, Problem-solving Skills, and Life Satisfaction.

February 21, 2026 updated by: Sema TOKER, Aydin Adnan Menderes University

The Effect of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy on Hope, Problem-Solving, and Life Satisfaction in Vocational School Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

This randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effects of a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)-based structured program on hope, problem-solving skills, and life satisfaction among students attending a university vocational school. Fifty eligible students from two campuses of a state university will be randomized to an intervention group (n=25) or a control group (n=25). The intervention group will receive a structured SFBT-based program delivered face-to-face, while the control group will continue usual conditions during the study period. Outcomes will be assessed using standardized questionnaires at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. The primary analyses will compare changes in outcome scores over time between groups.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Aim: The aim of this study is to examine the effects of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) delivered to associate degree students on hope, problem-solving skills, and life satisfaction.

Design: This is a parallel-group randomized controlled experimental study. Setting: The study will be conducted at a state university vocational school located on two separate campuses.

Participants and sample size: The planned sample size is 50 university students, with approximately 25 participants in the intervention group and 25 in the control group.

Intervention: The intervention group will receive a structured, face-to-face SFBT-based brief program focusing on goal setting, identifying exceptions, scaling questions, and strengthening personal resources and small-step planning.

Control: The control group will continue usual conditions and will not receive the SFBT program during the study period.

Outcome measures: Data will be collected using a Personal Information Form, the Continuous Hope Scale (CHS), the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), and the Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). Outcomes will be assessed at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and follow-up (T2).

Statistical analysis: Data will be analyzed using appropriate descriptive statistics and repeated-measures approaches to compare changes over time between groups. The significance level will be specified a priori.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

46

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Aydin, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Aydin Adnan Menderes University, Vocational School

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Currently enrolled as a student at a university vocational school
  • Continuous Hope Scale (CHS) score ≤ 40 at screening

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Self-reported or documented diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or anxiety disorder)
  • Currently receiving any psychotherapy/counseling intervention during the study period
  • Incomplete completion of the Continuous Hope Scale (CHS) at screening
  • Declines participation after screening (including those meeting the CHS criterion)

Discontinuation/Withdrawal Criteria:

  • Failure to attend study sessions (missing two or more sessions)
  • Incomplete completion of study questionnaires
  • Failure to complete assigned between-session tasks/homework on two or more occasions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
Participants received face-to-face Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) delivered once weekly for 6 weeks (6 sessions). Sessions were structured according to the core principles and techniques of the solution-focused approach.
Behavioral: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)
"Face-to-face SFBT delivered once weekly for 6 weeks (6 sessions)."
No Intervention: Control (Wait-list)
Participants received no structured intervention during the 6-week study period and completed assessments on the same schedule as the intervention group. After completion of post-intervention and 1-month follow-up assessments, the control group was offered two face-to-face SFBT sessions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from baseline in hope (Continuous Hope Scale [Sürekli Umut Ölçeği, SUÖ] total score)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), Week 6 (post-test), and 1-month follow-up.
Hope will be assessed using the Continuous Hope Scale (Sürekli Umut Ölçeği, SUÖ) total score. The scale includes 12 items (with 4 filler items not scored), and the total score is derived from the scored items on an 8-point Likert-type response format. Total score range: 8 to 64. Higher scores indicate higher hope (better outcome).
Baseline (pre-test), Week 6 (post-test), and 1-month follow-up.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Outcome Measure title (Secondary Outcome): Change from baseline in problem-solving (Problem Solving Inventory [PSI] total score)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), Week 6 (post-test), and 1-month follow-up.
Problem-solving will be assessed using the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) total score (Turkish version). The PSI is a 32-item self-report instrument scored on a 6-point Likert-type scale. Total score range: 32 to 192. Lower scores indicate better perceived problem-solving ability (better outcome), and higher scores indicate poorer perceived problem-solving appraisal (worse outcome).
Baseline (pre-test), Week 6 (post-test), and 1-month follow-up.
Change from baseline in life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale [SWLS] / Turkish version [Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği, YDÖ] total score)
Time Frame: Baseline (pre-test), Week 6 (post-test), and 1-month follow-up.
Life satisfaction will be assessed using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), Turkish version (Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği, YDÖ) total score. The scale is a single-factor, 5-item self-report measure. In the Turkish adaptation used in this study, items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Total score range: 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater life satisfaction (better outcome).
Baseline (pre-test), Week 6 (post-test), and 1-month follow-up.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Aydin Adnan Menderes University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Mehtap KIZILKAYA, PhD, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychiatric Nursing

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 16, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

December 22, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 22, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 21, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Solution-focused brief therapy

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The data sets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request

IPD Sharing Time Frame

6 months after publication

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

relevance to the topic of the study and approval of all co-authors within 1 month of receiving the request.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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