Evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance-commitment therapy on increased distress tolerance and emotional regulation in high school students with social anxiety disorder

the Aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance-commitment therapy on increased distress tolerance and emotional regulation in high school students with social anxiety disorder. Instead of focusing directly on the change in psychological events, this intervention seeks to change the functioning of these events and individuals' relationship with them through strategies such as acceptance or cognitive defusion. This study was a semi-experimental, with a pre-test and post-test, and a control group. The statistical population included high school girl students in Tehran, among which 60 were selected and randomly divided into two groups of 30 subjects. Three standard questionnaires of social anxiety, disturbance tolerance and emotional regulation were used to measure the variables of the research. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Data were analyzed by multivariate covariance analysis. Findings: The findings of this study showed that acceptance-commitment therapy increased the total distress tolerance (F = 352.88, η = 0.56, p <0.05) and excitement regulation (F = 185.842, η=0.57, p <0.05) in high school students with social anxiety disorder. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that acceptance-commitment therapy (Act) can be used as an effective approach to increase the mental health of students.