Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Self-Care Behaviors and Internalized Shame in Women with Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Authors

    Mohammad Mohammadi Department of Psychology, Firouzabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Firouzabad, Iran.
    Elham Sargolzaei Department of Psychology, Zahedan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran
    Zahra Fallahian Department of Counseling, Shahid Ashrafi Esfahani University, Isfahan, Iran.
    Seyed Farzan Madani Department of Psychology, Ro.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    Nazanin Haghighat Bayan * Department of Psychology, Ro.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran nazanin_haghighatbayan@yahoo.com
    Kamran Pourmohammadghouchani Department of Psychology, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran.
    Soheil Jafari Department of Psychology, Dezful.C., Islamic Azad University, Dezful, Iran
https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.pwj.6.3.12

Keywords:

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in improving self-care behaviors and reducing internalized shame in women with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD).

Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test–post-test design with a control group. The research population consisted of women diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder who referred to psychological service centers and clinics in Tehran during the spring of 2024. A total of 30 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received Acceptance and Commitment Therapy across ten 90-minute sessions, while the control group received no intervention. The research instruments included the Self-Care Behaviors Scale and the Internalized Shame Scale. Data were analyzed using Chi-square tests, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and Bonferroni post hoc tests.

Findings: The results indicated that the groups did not differ significantly in terms of gender, age, and education level (p > .05). Moreover, compared to the control group, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy significantly improved self-care behaviors and reduced internalized shame (p < .001).

Conclusion: Based on the findings, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can be considered an effective method for improving self-care behaviors and reducing internalized shame in women with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

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Additional Files

Published

2025-07-01

Submitted

2025-02-27

Revised

2025-05-02

Accepted

2025-05-11

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2025): Serial Number 23

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammad Mohammadi, Elham Sargolzaei, Zahra Fallahian, Seyed Farzan Madani (Author); Nazanin Haghighat Bayan (Corresponding Author); Kamran Pourmohammadghouchani, Soheil Jafari (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Mohammadi, M. ., Sargolzaei, E. ., Fallahian, Z., Madani, S. F. ., Haghighat Bayan, N. ., Pourmohammadghouchani, K. ., & Jafari, S. (2025). Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Self-Care Behaviors and Internalized Shame in Women with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Psychology of Woman Journal, 6(3), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.pwj.6.3.12