KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS) 2981-2526 6 Serial Number 32 2025 04 10 Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Anxiety and Emotion Regulation in Girls Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Anxiety and Emotion Regulation in Girls 68 77 10.61838/kman.jayps.6.4.8 EN Journal Article 2025 01 12 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing anxiety and improving emotion regulation in adolescent girls.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> This study employed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with 30 adolescent girls from Tehran, randomly assigned to either the ACT intervention group (n = 15) or a control group (n = 15). The ACT group participated in eight 90-minute therapy sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Standardized measures, including the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), were administered at pre-test, post-test, and five-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measurements (ANOVA-RM) and the Bonferroni post-hoc test in SPSS-27 to examine within-group and between-group differences.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results showed a significant reduction in anxiety scores in the ACT intervention group from 35.24 (SD = 5.12) at pre-test to 21.75 (SD = 4.85) at post-test and 19.88 (SD = 4.77) at follow-up, while the control group’s anxiety scores remained stable (p = 0.001). Similarly, emotion regulation significantly improved in the intervention group, with scores increasing from 45.32 (SD = 6.23) at pre-test to 60.21 (SD = 5.90) at post-test and 62.98 (SD = 5.78) at follow-up, whereas the control group showed no significant changes (p = 0.002). Bonferroni post-hoc analysis confirmed that these improvements were statistically significant and sustained over time.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The findings suggest that ACT is an effective intervention for reducing anxiety and enhancing emotion regulation in adolescent girls, with long-term therapeutic benefits. Given these results, ACT could be integrated into adolescent mental health programs to improve emotional well-being and coping strategies.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/jayps/article/download/3801/6254