The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Reduction of Interpersonal Problems and Experiential Avoidance in University Students

Aim and Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a novel method for resolving interpersonal problems. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of ACT on interpersonal problems and experiential avoidance among female students with interpersonal problems.
Methods and Materials: In this convenience clinical trial, the study population consisted of all female students in the Islamic Azad University of Gorgan, Iran, in the fields of nursing, midwifery, laboratory sciences, management, law, accounting, and architecture. The participants consisted of 66 individuals selected via purposive sampling. The study population was randomly categorized into intervention (ACT group) and control groups. The intervention consisted of 10 90-minute ACT sessions, which were held by a trained clinical psychologist according to a study by McKay, Lev, and Skeen (2012). The data collection tools included two short-form questionnaires, i.e., the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32) and Acceptance and Action questionnaire (AAQ-II). Pretest and posttest scores were analyzed using ANCOVA
Findings: After controlling of pretest scores, a significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of the average scores of interpersonal problems (P Based on the findings, ACT can be effective on improvement of interpersonal problems and experiential avoidance.