The effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment to cognitive distortions, rumination, and anxiety sensitivity of female students with social anxiety disorder

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Department of Psychology, Sarab Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sarab, Iran.

10.22038/jfmh.2024.76533.3100

Abstract

Introduction: The present study assessed the effectiveness of treatment based on acceptance and commitment to cognitive distortions, rumination, and anxiety sensitivity of secondary school students suffering from social anxiety.
 
Materials and Methods: The present study population comprises all female second-grade middle school students in Mianeh City, Iran, during the second semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. Among students with social anxiety score higher than 40, 30 people were selected by the convenient sampling method. They randomly replaced in experimental and control groups. The experimental group received acceptance and commitment treatment protocol in 12 one-hour sessions. The data collected through diagnostic interviews, social phobia inventory, revised anxiety sensitivity index, rumination questionnaire, and cognitive distortions questionnaire. We analyzed the data using multivariate analysis of covariance.
 
Results: We found significant decreases in anxiety sensitivity, cognitive distortions, and rumination in the experimental group compared to the control group (P< 0.05).
 
Conclusion: Based on the findings, acceptance and commitment therapy effectively reduce anxiety sensitivity, cognitive distortions, and rumination in students with social anxiety.

Keywords


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