ACT for adolescents: Impact of a pilot group intervention on psychological wellbeing

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-254
Author(s):  
Kylie J. Smith ◽  
Lisa N. Oxman ◽  
Louise Hayes
Keyword(s):  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Group Intervention ◽  
School Context ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
School Based ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Preliminary Support

AbstractAcceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has substantial support in adult populations but less among adolescents. To date, very little research has evaluated whether it can be delivered in a highly accessible school context. This study examined a 6-hour, weekly ACT-informed school-based group intervention for adolescent girls, focusing on anxiety, depression and building psychological flexibility. Participants (N = 10) who completed the intervention experienced significantly lowered levels of anxiety and increased psychological flexibility, with postintervention scores for all variables trending in the expected directions. Findings provide preliminary support for the efficacy of the intervention and encourages further evaluation of ACT delivered in schools.

scholarly journals The ACTyourCHANGE study protocol: promoting a healthy lifestyle in patients with obesity with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy—a randomized controlled trial

Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Guerrini Usubini ◽  
Roberto Cattivelli ◽  
Emanuele Maria Giusti ◽  
Francesco Vailati Riboni ◽  
Giorgia Varallo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Randomized Controlled Trial ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Mechanism Of Action ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

Abstract Background As treatment of choice in promoting psychological flexibility, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) was found to be effective in several conditions, and among different populations, including weight management in individuals with obesity. However, the mechanism of action of psychological flexibility is less known. The aim of the present study is, within the context of a brief ACT intervention for behavioral change and behavioral maintenance of a healthy lifestyle in a sample of inpatients with obesity, to explore the effect of each subcomponent of the psychological flexibility model on treatment processes and outcomes. Methods A randomized controlled trial will be conducted. Ninety Italian adult inpatients with obesity attending a rehabilitation program for weight loss will be randomly allocated into three experimental conditions targeting respectively each subcomponent of the psychological flexibility model: group Engage focused on values-oriented behaviors, group Openness focused on acceptance and cognitive defusion, and group Awareness focused on being present and aware of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors at every moment. Weight, BMI (kg/m2), the Psychological General Well-Being Inventory (PGWBI), the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2 (OQ-45.2), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Dutch Eating Behaviors Questionnaire (DEBQ), the Brief Values Inventory (BVI), the Committed Action Questionnaire (CAQ), the Italian-Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (I-CFQ), the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II) will be assessed at the beginning (time 0), at the end of psychological intervention (time 1), and after 3 (time 2) and 6 months (time 3) and 9 months (time 4) from discharge. During the following month after discharge, outpatients will be monitored in their adherence to a healthy lifestyle, using a wearable device. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, mixed between-within 3 (conditions) × 4 (times) repeated measure ANOVAs will be conducted to examine changes from time 0 to time 1, 2, 3, and 4 in means of weight, BMI, and means of scores PGWBI, OQ-45.2, DASS, DERS, DEBQ, AAQ-II, BVI, CAQ, I-CFQ, and FFMQ, between three groups. Discussion This study will contribute to clarify the mechanism of action of each subcomponent of the psychological flexibility model and understand its impact on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT04474509. Registered on July 4, 2020

scholarly journals A Pilot Study Examining the Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as Parent Counseling

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 978-988
Author(s):  
Denise H. M. Bodden ◽  
Denise Matthijssen
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Parental Psychopathology ◽  
Parenting Behavior ◽  
Parental Competence ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Parent Counseling ◽  
Parent Child

AbstractThere is some scientific evidence to support the applicability and preliminary effects of ACT as a parent intervention but more research is needed. In this pilot research, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is provided as a parent counseling therapy in order to increase psychological flexibility which in turn helps parents to choose attuned parenting behavior, invest in a helpful parent-child relationship, deal with feelings of incompetence, and cope with their own psychopathology. ACT parent counseling is developed for parents of children (3–18 years old) with psychiatric problems. The mean age of the parents (n = 101) was 47.1 years (range = 30–66). A repeated measures design was used including pretreatment, posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up measurements. The main outcomes were ACT measures (psychological flexibility, parental psychological inflexibility, and cognitive fusion). Secondary outcomes included parenting behavior, the quality of the parent-child interaction, parental competence, parental psychopathology, and the satisfaction with the treatment program. This is the first study we know of that showed statistically significant improvements on parental psychological flexibility, parenting behavior (except behavioral control), parent-child relations, parental competence, and parental internalizing psychopathology directly after treatment. At 6-month follow-up, significantly less conflicts, more parental competence, and less parental psychopathology was found. However, the improvements were not clinically significant, as calculated with the RCI. No control group was used in this uncontrolled pilot study but preliminary findings indicate that ACT parent counseling can help parents to increase psychological flexibility in order to choose more flexible and effective parenting behavior.

Process-outcome associations in an interdisciplinary treatment for chronic pain and comorbid mental disorders based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Pain Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludwig Ohse ◽  
Ronald Burian ◽  
Eric Hahn ◽  
Hannah Burian ◽  
Thi Minh Tam Ta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Clinical Outcomes ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Interdisciplinary Treatment ◽  
Pain Acceptance ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Comorbid Mental Disorders

Abstract Objective Numerous studies support the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for chronic pain, yet little research has been conducted about its underlying mechanisms of change, especially regarding patients with comorbid mental disorders. The present investigation addressed this issue by examining associations of processes targeted by ACT (pain acceptance, mindfulness, psychological flexibility) and clinical outcomes (pain intensity, somatic symptoms, physical health, mental health, depression, general anxiety). Subjects Participants were 109 patients who attended an ACT-based interdisciplinary treatment program for chronic pain and comorbid mental disorders in a routine care psychiatric day hospital. Methods Pre- to post-treatment differences in processes and outcomes were examined with Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and effect size r. Associations between changes in processes and changes in outcomes were analyzed with correlation and multiple regression analyses. Results Pre- to post-treatment effect sizes were mostly moderate to large (r between |0.21| and |0.62|). Associations between changes in processes and changes in outcomes were moderate to large for both, bivariate correlations (r between |0.30| and |0.54|) and shared variances accounting for all three processes combined (R2 between 0.21 and 0.29). Conclusion The present investigation suggests that changes in pain acceptance, mindfulness and psychological flexibility are meaningfully associated with changes in clinical outcomes. It provides evidence on particular process-outcome associations that had not been investigated in this way before. The focus on comorbid mental disorders informs clinicians about a population of chronic pain patients that often has a severe course of illness and has seldom been studied.

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)-enhanced communication skills: development and evaluation of a novel training programme

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjspcare-2020-002786
Author(s):  
Nicholas J Hulbert-Williams ◽  
Lee Hulbert-Williams ◽  
Pandora Patterson ◽  
Sahil Suleman ◽  
Lesley Howells
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Training Programme ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Evaluation Data ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment

BackgroundPsychological suffering is ubiquitous with cancer and frequently presents as an unmet supportive care need. In clinical practice, distress-related needs are often addressed by nurses and non-psychologist allied healthcare professionals who may have limited training in psychological therapeutic frameworks, particularly more recently developed interventions such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).AimsWe developed a single-day training programme for professionals working in supportive and palliative cancer care settings to change the nature of clinical communication about psychological distress and suffering towards an ACT-consistent approach.MethodWe report on experiences of training delivery, and evaluation data about training satisfaction and intention to apply the training to clinical practice, from three training iterations in British and Australian, government-funded and charitable sectors. One hundred and sixteen cancer care professionals participated in the training. Evaluation data were collected from 53 participants (at either 2-week or 3-month follow-ups, or both) using self-report survey, including both quantitative and free-text questions.ResultsAt 2 week follow-up, 73% of trainees rating our course as having relevance to their work, and at 3 month follow-up, 46% agreed that they were better placed to provide improved clinical services. Qualitative feedback supported the inclusion of experiential learning and theoretical explanations underpinning ACT techniques. Undertaking this training did not significantly increase trainees’ stress levels, nor did implementation of this new way of working negatively affect staff well-being. Positive, ACT-consistent, changes in communication behaviours and attitudes were reported, however there was a lack of significant change in psychological flexibility.DiscussionAcceptability and applicability of this training to supportive and palliative healthcare is positive. The lack of change in psychological flexibility suggests a potential need for more experiential content in the training programme. Logistical challenges in one training group suggests the need for more robust train-the-trainer models moving forward.

scholarly journals Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Systematic Literature Review of Prevention and Intervention Programs for Mental Health Difficulties in Children and Young People

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 280-305
Author(s):  
Emma Harris ◽  
Victoria Samuel
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment Therapy ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Prevention And Intervention ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Commitment Therapy ◽  
Acceptance And Commitment ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties

BackgroundAcceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is increasingly being used to treat mental health difficulties, however there is a paucity of reviews concerning ACT with children.AimTo examine the literature about ACT interventions for child and adolescent mental well-being.MethodsSearches for articles reporting on ACT interventions to prevent/reduce child mental health difficulties were undertaken. Methodological quality was assessed and a narrative synthesis was used to summarize findings about mental health symptoms and psychological flexibility.ResultsTen articles were identified focusing on prevention and intervention for anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, and trichotillomania. Most studies found that mental health symptoms reduced following an ACT intervention and psychological flexibility increased. However, findings indicate that other active interventions also led to the same changes.ConclusionsACT is a promising intervention for adolescent mental health, although further research is needed to establish whether reductions in mental health symptoms are due to an increase in psychological flexibility.

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