Negar Bahremand Nia; Azam Vaziri Nasab
Abstract
Background: Many single-parent or parentless individuals tend to engage in social misconduct due to family and community incompetence and lack of support. The present study investigated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the self-control of single-parent high school students in ...
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Background: Many single-parent or parentless individuals tend to engage in social misconduct due to family and community incompetence and lack of support. The present study investigated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the self-control of single-parent high school students in Kerman, Iran.Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and a control group. The study population were single-parent high school students in Kerman, Iran in the academic year 2023-2024. A total number of 30 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly divided into two groups of 15. First, all participants completed the Tangney Self-Control Scale (SCS) as a pre-test measure. The experimental group underwent eight sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Then, the research instruments were applied as a post-test measure. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25, particularly for univariate analysis of covariance.Results: There was a significant difference in self-control at the post-test stage between the two groups of Acceptance and commitment therapy and the control group, even after accounting for the pre-test scores (P=0.003). Additionally, the data revealed a significant contrast in self-control improvement from the pre-test to the post-test stage within the acceptance and commitment therapy group (P=0.002). However, no notable change was observed in self-control in the control group throughout the study (P=0.484). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test stages in the control group (P=0.233).Conclusions: According to our results, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is effective in improving self-control among single-parent high school students in Kerman, Iran. Thus, ACT is recommended in counseling and psychotherapy centers, especially for students who lack proper supervision and have only one guardian.
Parvin Mostafazadeh; Nemat Sotoudehasl; Raheb Ghorbani
Abstract
Background: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with daily life occurrences and situations. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing worry and improving the quality ...
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Background: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with daily life occurrences and situations. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Metacognitive Therapy (MCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing worry and improving the quality of life among women diagnosed with GAD.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest and a 3-month follow-up design. The study participants were women with GAD selected through convenient sampling in Tehran, Iran, from September to November 2022. According to the research design, the participants were divided into experimental and control groups (n=17 in each group). The experimental group underwent a 10-session treatment protocol based on ACT, while the control group did not receive any specific treatment. Data collection was accomplished using the Pennsylvania State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) to assess worry, the Brief Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) to measure generalized anxiety, and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL) to assess the quality of life. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25, utilizing analysis of variance and repeated measures at a significance level of 0.05.Results: Significant differences were observed between the experimental and follow-up phases among the ACT, MCT, and Control groups concerning environmental health variables (P=0.04). The study’s results indicated significant differences in anxiety variables between the three groups (ACT, MCT, and Control) during the experimental and follow-up phases (P=0.001). No significant differences were noted between the ACT, MCT, and control groups regarding changes in physical health at the post-test (P=0.2) and follow-up (P=0.1) phases. In addition, significant differences were found among the three groups (ACT, MCT, and Control) regarding changes in mental health during the pretest and follow-up (P=0.001). This study also revealed significant disparities in social health variables among the three groups (ACT, MCT, and Control) (P=0.001).Conclusion: In summary, this study suggested that fostering positive thoughts about worrying may contribute to reducing the severity of anxiety disorders in adults. Intriguingly, mindfulness and a focus on the present moment did not appear to be significantly correlated with mild anxiety experiences.
Rohollah Sharifi Nejad Rodani; Fatemeh Sadat Marashian; Masoud Shahbazi
Abstract
Background: The stability and quality of emotional relationships can directly and indirectly affect the mental and physical health of women. This survey was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy (ST) on psychological well-being and cognitive ...
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Background: The stability and quality of emotional relationships can directly and indirectly affect the mental and physical health of women. This survey was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Schema Therapy (ST) on psychological well-being and cognitive distortion in single women with Love Trauma Syndrome (LTS).Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental designed by pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population included all single women with LTS visiting counseling centers in Ahvaz, Iran in 2022. The statistical sample consisted of 45 participants who were selected using purposive sampling and were assigned into two experimental groups and one control group via simple random allocation. The first and second experimental groups received ACT (eleven 90-minute sessions per week), and ST (ten 90-minute sessions per week), respectively, while the control group was on the waiting list. The research instruments included the Psychological Well-being (PWB) Scale and the Interpersonal Cognitive Distortion Scale (ICDS). Analysis of covariance in SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis.Results: The results showed that ACT and ST significantly influenced the psychological well-being and cognitive distortion of single women with LTS (P<0.001). The mean and standard deviation (SD) of psychological well-being and cognitive distortion were 60.10±7.76 and 58.87±7.42 in the pretest in the ACT group, whereas it was 70.33±8.16 and 65.80±8.31 in the posttest. Moreover, the mean and SD of psychological well-being and cognitive distortion were 48.00±5.25 and 50.07±4.89 in the pretest in the ST group, whereas it was 39.33±5.16 and 44.00±4.48 in the posttest. ACT had a more significant effect on the psychological well-being and cognitive distortion of participants than ST (P<0.001).Conclusion: In conclusion, ACT was better suited for addressing the psychological well-being and cognitive distortion of single women with LTS. Based on these results and considering the role of ACT and ST, it is possible to help women with LTS enjoy psychological well-being by holding ACT and ST sessions.
Nahide Naderi Moghaddam; Amir Panah Ali; Ali Naghi Aghdasi; Masoud Hejazi
Abstract
Background: The study focuses on the increasing rates of divorce and the need for effective therapeutic interventions to reduce marital conflict and emotional divorce. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing marital conflict and emotional ...
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Background: The study focuses on the increasing rates of divorce and the need for effective therapeutic interventions to reduce marital conflict and emotional divorce. The current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in reducing marital conflict and emotional divorce among women who are facing divorce and seeking services at Zanjan family counseling centers, Zanjan, Iran.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in the second half of 2021. A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 20 participants from Zanjan family counseling centers, who were randomly allocated into two groups. The treatment group received ten sessions of 60 minutes twice a week (5 weeks) of acceptance and commitment therapy. The Marital Conflict Questionnaire and Emotional Divorce Scale were used as research tools to measure pretest and posttest scores. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in SPSS version 24 to compare the mean scores for marital conflict and emotional divorce between the treatment and control groups.Results: The findings of the study revealed that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in reducing both marital conflict and emotional divorce scores in the treatment group compared to the control group. The mean score for marital conflict decreased significantly from 172.50±18.23 to 147.25±15.68 in the treatment group (P<0.001), while the control group showed no significant changes. The mean score for emotional divorce also decreased significantly from 2.35±16 to 1.93±12 in the treatment group (P<0.001), while the control group again showed no significant changes.Conclusion: This research demonstrated that acceptance and commitment therapy is an effective psychotherapy for reducing marital conflict and emotional divorce in women at risk of divorce who referred to family counseling centers. The findings of this study have practical implications for counseling settings.
Mehrdad Ghanbarpoor Ganjari; Sana Nourimoghadam
Abstract
Background: Fertility phenomenon holds great importance in almost all cultures; therefore, failures in this matter can turn into a harmful sensation. This study aimed to study the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy on anxiety, depression, and stress in women with frequent miscarriage records.Methods: ...
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Background: Fertility phenomenon holds great importance in almost all cultures; therefore, failures in this matter can turn into a harmful sensation. This study aimed to study the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy on anxiety, depression, and stress in women with frequent miscarriage records.Methods: The research design of this study was quasi-experimental, including post-test and pre-test types with experiment and control groups. The population of this study consisted of all applicants from Alzahra hospital of Rasht, Iran with frequent miscarriage records in summer 2019. The research sample size comprised 30 women who were chosen through convenience method sampling and were randomly assigned into two groups of control group (15 participants) and experiment group (15 participants). Eight sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy were performed on the experiment group. Lovibond and Lovibond’s (1995) scale of depression, anxiety, and stress was applied to collect the data. To analyze the data, one-way ANCOVA was used.Result: Results revealed that acceptance and commitment therapy was significantly reduced (P=0.001). The mean scores of anxiety (M=27.73±0.79), depression (M=26.73±1.22), and stress (M=27.06±0.59) in the experimental group as compared with control group that were anxiety (28.26±0.96), depression (28±0.75), and stress (28.13±0.83), respectively.Conclusion: The findings of present study indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy increased the psychological flexibility and led to committed action toward personal values. Therefore, this therapy is applicable for those women with frequent miscarriages to decrease their anxiety, depression, and stress levels.
Laleh Kianpour Barjoee; Naser Amini; Moloud Keykhosrovani; Abdollah Shafiabadi
Abstract
Background: Women with breast cancer may suffer from numerous psychological, physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional problems. If their psychological disorders persist, they may perceive a high level of stress. We conducted the present study to evaluate the effect of positive thinking skills training ...
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Background: Women with breast cancer may suffer from numerous psychological, physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional problems. If their psychological disorders persist, they may perceive a high level of stress. We conducted the present study to evaluate the effect of positive thinking skills training and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on perceived stress among women with breast cancer in Ahvaz, Iran in 2019.Methods: This was an experimental controlled pretest-posttest study. A sample of 45 women with breast cancer was conveniently selected and randomly allocated to the positive skills training group, ACT group, and the control group. The first and second experimental groups underwent eight sessions (90-minute sessions per week) of positive thinking skills training and ACT, respectively. The research instrument included the Perceived Stress Scale. One-way analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data.Results: The mean±SD of the post-test scores of perceived stress in the positive thinking skills training group was 17.01±2.32 while it was 22.53±1.45 in the ACT group, which was significantly different from the control group (54.10±4.37). Positive thinking skills training and ACT both reduced the perceived stress in women with breast cancer in the experimental groups compared to that in the control group. Positive thinking skills training had a significantly greater effect than ACT on mitigating perceived stress (p <0.001).Conclusion: According to the results, positive thinking training and ACT were effective in reducing perceived stress in women with breast cancer. Moreover, positive thinking training was more effective in declining stress in women with breast cancer.
