Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Emotional Processing, Irrational Beliefs and Rumination in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

Background and Aim: Generalized Anxiety Disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders. The purpose of this study was to investigate Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Emotional Processing, Irrational Beliefs and Rumination in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with a control group. 30 patients with generalized anxiety disorder referred to daily psychiatric treatment centers in Golpayegan in the first half of 2019 were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received Acceptance and Commitment Therapy program in 8 sessions of 90 minutes. However, the control group did not receive this intervention during the research process. The questionnaires used in this study included Spitzer Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (2006), Baker Emotional Processing Scale (2007), Jones Irrational Beliefs Questionnaire (1968), Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow (1991) Rumination Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by analysis of covariance using SPSS 24 software. Results: The results of data analysis showed that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has significantly influenced Emotional Processing (p<0.001), Irrational Beliefs (p<0.001) and Rumination (p<0.001). Conclusion: Considering the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy on emotional processing, irrational beliefs and rumination in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, it is suggested that training workshops be held to become more familiar with the principles and techniques of this training for counselors and therapists active in the field of this disorder.