A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Metacognitive Group Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Cognitive Distortions of Students with Social Anxiety Disorder

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of metacognitive group therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on cognitive distortions and social anxiety syndrome.

The method of this study is a semi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test design and a 2-month follow-up. The statistical sample of this study consisted of 60 students suffering from social anxiety who volunteered to participate in the intervention. Using random sampling, 1500 students were selected based on social anxiety scales and structured clinical interviews. They were randomly divided into three groups (metacognitive group therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and control group). Subjects in the experimental group received metacognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy in 10 sessions. All three groups responded to the Watson & Ferind Social Anxiety Questionnaire (1969), and the cognitive distortions (Hamamci and etal, 2004) in the pre-test, post-test and follow-up stages. The collected data were analyzed by analysis of covariance with repeated measures.

The results indicated that the metacognitive group therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy were effective on cognitive disturbances and the syndrome of social anxiety (P <0.001). The results were also kept at the follow-up stage.

According to the results, these interventions could be used in combination with drug therapy and other evidence-based therapies for people with social anxiety disorder as an efficient and complementary treatment.