Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Reducing High-risk and Harmful Behaviors in Students

The prevalence of high-risk behaviors in young people is one of the concerns of societies. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment therapy in reducing high-risk and harmful behaviors among high school students in Mobarakeh City. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest and posttest design and a control group. The statistical population of the present study included high school students with high-risk behaviors in Mobarakeh city, referred to the education counseling center of this city. Participants included 30 students randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups of 15 students. The Iranian Adolescents’ Risk-taking Scale was administered as a pretest and posttest (2 weeks after the end of the experiment). The experimental group received a 6-session intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy, with each session lasting 90 to 100 minutes. The control group did not receive any intervention. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and the results indicated a 56% reduction in risky behaviors (excluding alcohol consumption) among the participating students in the study (P<0.01). Furthermore, the acceptance and commitment therapy intervention led to a 56% reduction in risky behaviors among the students in the experimental group (P<0.01). Acceptance and commitment therapy can enhance students' ability to cope with high-risk behaviors.