The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment Group therapy (ACT) on emotion regulation difficulties and self-harm behaviors of people with borderline personality disorder

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on difficulty with emotion regulation and self-harm behaviors of people with a borderline personality disorder. This is a quasi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest and control group design. The statistical population of the study included all people with borderline personality disorder in Shiraz city in 2018. This research was conducted using a convenience sampling method. At first, people with borderline personality disorder were detected, and 30 cases of them were selected randomly and assigned in an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The group ACT-based program was used for the experimental group in eight-90 minute sessions (twice a week); the control group was in the waitlist for two months. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004) and Self-harm Questionnaire (Sampson et al. 1998) were used in two stages: pre and post-test. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to analyze data. The obtained results of the research showed that by controlling the effect of pre-test, there is a significant difference between the mean of post-test scores of experimental group and control group in difficulty with emotion regulation and self-harm behaviors. Generally, it can be said that ACT affects the reduction of difficulty with emotion regulation and self-harm behaviors of people with borderline personality disorder.