Introduction: Childhood and adolescence represent highly sensitive stages of human development during which students face numerous challenges. Physical and psychological changes, family and social expectations, academic pressures, and issues related to puberty can all influence their mental health and learning outcomes. The present study investigated the effectiveness of resilience training in reducing academic stress and test anxiety and in improving self-efficacy among elementary school students.
Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test–post-test design with a control group. The statistical population comprised female elementary school students in Abadan city. Thirty students were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight resilience training sessions. Data were collected using the Academic Stress Questionnaire (Gadzella, 1994), the Test Anxiety Questionnaire (Friedman & Jacob, 1997), and the Student Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Jinks & Morgan, 1999).
Findings: Covariance analysis (ANCOVA) revealed that resilience training had a significant effect on reducing academic stress and test anxiety while simultaneously enhancing students’ self-efficacy.
Conclusion: The results highlight the important role of resilience as a psychological skill in promoting students’ academic well-being. Strengthening resilience can help reduce negative academic pressures, lower test anxiety, and increase self-efficacy, thereby improving students’ overall educational performance.