The study explored the impact of Sequential Decision-Making and Cognitive-Restructuring Techniques on stress among female students in Colleges of Education in Kano State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test group approach was used. The study's population consisted of NCE II female students in Kano State who exhibited stress symptoms. A sample of 28 students, including 14 married and 14 single, was divided into two treatment groups: one for Sequential Decision-Making and the other for Cognitive Restructuring Techniques, administered over seven and eleven weeks, respectively. Data collection was conducted using the Stress Assessment Inventory (SAI) adapted from Balarabe (2007). The study addressed nine research questions and tested nine hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the research questions, while t-tests and Analysis of Variance were employed to test the hypotheses.
The findings indicated that the Sequential Decision-Making Technique significantly reduced stress among single female students and was also highly effective for married female students. Similarly, the Cognitive Restructuring Technique effectively reduced stress in married female students but showed no significant impact on single female students. The Sequential Decision-Making Technique was found to be effective in reducing stress across both married and single female students, while the Cognitive Restructuring Technique showed no significant effect on stress in these groups. The study also revealed significant relative effects of both techniques on stress among married and single female students. It was recommended that counselors, psychologists, and social workers consider employing Sequential Decision-Making and Cognitive Restructuring Techniques to address stress among married and single female students in Kano State Colleges of Education.