The effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in sleep quality of students with test anxiety

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in sleep quality of students with test anxiety.

The study population included all in the academic year of 2015-2016. In the present study, 150 high school female students in Birjand-Iran, completed the Sarason Test Anxiety Questionnaire. Thirty-six students were randomly selected among students with anxiety scores above 20 and divided into three groups. Then, they fulfilled the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (1989). One group received Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and another group received cognitive therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The control group did not receive any treatment. Data were analyzed using MANCOVA, and SPSS version 22.

The results indicated that sleep problems were decreased significantly in both experimental groups (P< 0.05). In addition, the effectiveness of MBCT was significantly higher than ACT (P< 0.05).

According to the results, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy effectively improved sleep quality in students with test anxiety.