The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Psychological Hardiness and Psychological Flexibility in Individuals with Depression
Keywords:
Depression, Psychological Hardiness, Psychological Flexibility, Acceptance and Commitment TherapyAbstract
The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on psychological hardiness and psychological flexibility in individuals with depression. This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, and a two-month follow-up alongside a control group. The statistical population consisted of individuals with depression who were referred to psychological service centers and clinics in the city of Tonekabon in 2024. Among eligible individuals, 30 participants were selected using purposive sampling and were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental group received Acceptance and Commitment Therapy during 10 sessions of 90 minutes each, whereas the control group received no intervention during the same period. Data were collected using the Psychological Hardiness Questionnaire developed by Suzanne Kobasa and colleagues and the Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire developed by Jason P. Dennis and J. S. Vander Wal. Data were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, Fisher’s exact test, and two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) in IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings indicated that the experimental and control groups did not differ significantly in terms of age, gender, educational level, and marital status. Furthermore, the results of the two-way repeated-measures ANOVA demonstrated that the interaction effect of group and time on psychological hardiness and psychological flexibility was significant. Based on mean comparisons, psychological hardiness and psychological flexibility scores in the experimental group increased from the pretest to the posttest stage, and these improvements were largely maintained during the follow-up stage, whereas no substantial changes were observed in the control group. Based on the findings, therapists and mental health professionals may use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to improve health-related characteristics, particularly psychological hardiness and psychological flexibility.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Leyli Jafarpour; Masumeh Sajjadi , Mahdiye Mohseni (Author)
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