The Impact of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Social Acceptance and Loneliness of Women

Divorce causes disintegration of family as the most fundamental part of a society. Divorce is a sad event with numerous psychological and social impacts and it leads to social rejection and feeling of loneliness in women. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on social acceptance and loneliness of women. This quasi-experimental research had a pre-test posttest control group design. The statistical population of the study was comprised of women who had been referred to Counseling Centers of University of Applied Science and Technology in west of Tehran from among whom 30 individuals were selected via purposive sampling method and were assigned to experimental (N=15) and control groups (N=15). The research instruments included Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (1960) and UCLA Loneliness Scale (Russell, Peplau & & Ferguson, 1978). Data were analyzed by covariance analysis and SPSS software version 21. The results revealed that acceptance and commitment therapy was effective in social acceptance and loneliness of women and this impact was more tangible for social acceptance. In fact, this effect is well-demonstrated in social acceptance. Thus, acceptance and commitment therapy can be utilized as an effective non-pharmaceutical method for improving psychological and social status of vulnerable women.