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Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a psychoeducational program for adolescents titled "Education for Boosting Communication and Confidence for Healthy Independence (e-BOCCHI)." Implemented among second-year junior high school students, the program was associated with reduced depressive symptoms and improved help-seeking skills.

Tsukuba, Japan—Adolescents experiencing social isolation or loneliness are at increased risk of developing mental health problems, highlighting the need for preventive interventions before these challenges worsen. However, relatively few psychoeducational programs specifically address isolation and loneliness among adolescents, with most existing interventions focusing on individualized support.

To address this gap, the researchers developed e-BOCCHI, a school-based psychoeducational program designed to increase awareness of the diverse experiences of "being alone" while preventing social isolation and loneliness. Following implementation among second-year junior high school students, participants demonstrated statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms and improvements in help-seeking skills compared with baseline. Although mean loneliness and self-esteem scores showed modest improvement, these changes were not statistically significant. Overall, the findings suggest that e-BOCCHI may promote cognitive reframing of "being alone," often viewed negatively, and strengthen adaptive interpersonal skills and help-seeking behaviors.

The findings also suggest that the program may encourage both individual cognitive and behavioral change but also collective reflection on attitudes toward "being alone." Future studies using more rigorous experimental designs are needed to establish the program's causal effects and long-term effectiveness.

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This work was supported by JST RISTEX "SOLVE for SDGs: Preventing Social Isolation & Loneliness and Creating Diversified Social Networks," Japan [grant number JPMJRX21K2].

Original Paper

Title of original paper:

Preliminary evaluation of a psychoeducational program for adolescents targeting loneliness and social isolation

Journal:

Journal of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy

DOI:

10.1016/j.jbct.2026.100614

Correspondence

Visiting Professor TACHIKAWA Hirokazu
Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba

Assistant Professor KUSHIBIKI Natsuho
Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki University

Professor AIBA Miyuki
Faculty of Human Sciences, Toyo Gakuen University

Related Link

Institute of Medicine