Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Levels of Self-Criticism and Suicidal Thoughts in Adolescents with Self-Harm

The present study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on levels of self-criticism and suicidal ideations in adolescents with self-harm. The research method was semi-experimental which was carried out with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research included male adolescents in the age range of 13-18 years in Ardabil city in the second half of 2022. The research sample consisted of 30 adolescents who were selected by the purposeful sampling method and randomly replaced in experimental (15 adolescents) and control groups (15 adolescents). The self-criticism level scale of Thompson and Zoroff and the Beck suicidal ideation questionnaire were used to collect data. For the experimental group, eight 90-minute sessions of ACT were performed. Data analysis were done with the multivariate analysis of covariance test. Based on the findings, ACT was effective on comparative self-criticism, internal self-criticism, and suicidal ideations in adolescents with self-mutilation. Therefore, according to the results, ACT can reduce the levels of self-criticism and suicidal ideations in adolescents with self-mutilation. Therefore, counselors and therapists can use the mentioned treatment method to reduce the levels of self-criticism and suicidal ideations of adolescents.