The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Stress and Depression in Adolescents Aged 14 to 18 Years with Stuttering: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Science and Arts University, Yazd, Iran

10.22122/jrrs.v15i5.3433

Abstract

Introduction: Stuttering is a communication disorder in the smooth and continuous flow of speech that occurs at different intensities. These disorders can have a negative impact on one's mental health. The purpose in this study is to determine the effectiveness of group therapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on stress and depression in adolescents with stuttering aged 14 to 18 years.Materials and Methods: The study was performed in a randomized controlled clinical trial design and the subjects were randomly divided into the two experimental and control groups after the pre-test. The intervention was performed in 8 sessions. In the two groups, stress and depression were measured by the Depression, and Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire (DASS-21) before and after the intervention. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data.Results: The results showed that ACT significantly affected stress (P = 0.011) and depression (P = 0.014).Conclusion: The results of this study showed that ACT treatment is effective in reducing stress and depression.

Keywords

  1. Nazari M, Jahan A, Moghadam-Salimi M. Stuttering and brain maturity. J Res Behav Sci 2012; 8(4): 744-53. [In Persian].
  2. Mansouri Rad A. DSM-5 Guidebook the essential companion to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed. Tehran, Iran: Arjmand Publications; 2016. [In Persian].
  3. Nolen-Hoeksema S, Fredrickson B, Loftus GR, Lutz C, Hilgard ER. Atkinson and Hilgard's introduction to psychology. Trans. Baraheni MT. Tehran, Iran: Roshd Publications; 2015, p. 17–45. [In Persian].
  4. MohiuddinP. Types of stress and coping strategies. Knowledge Retrieval 2018; 10(43): 37-65. [In Persian].
  5. Saeedmanesh M, Babaie Z. The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on anxiety and self-esteem in adolescents 14 to 16 years of stuttering. Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies 2017; 7: 56. [In Persian].
  6. Sadock BJ, Sadock VA, Ruiz P. Kaplan and Sadock's Concise Textbook of Clinical Psychiatry. Trans. Ganji M. Tehran, Iran: Savalan Publications; 2016. P. 120-3. [In Persian].
  7. Hayes S, Hogan M, Dowd H, Doherty E, O'Higgins S, Nic GS, et al. Comparing the clinical-effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an internet-delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention with a waiting list control among adults with chronic pain: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2014; 4(7): e005092.
  8. Rajabi S, Yazdkhasti F. The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy on Anxiety and Depression in Women with MS Who Were Referred to the MS Association. Journal of Clinical Psychology 2014; 6(1): 29-38.
  9. Barzegari A, Barjali A, Hussein Sabet F. The effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment-Based Therapy (ACT) on adolescent emotion regulation and mood [Thesis]. Tehran, Iran: Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University; 2015. [In Persian].
  10. Lopez FJC, Salas SV. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the treatment of panic disorder: Some considerations from the research on basic processes. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy 2009; 9(3): 299-315.
  11. Saeidmanesh M, Nejad Akbari Ravavri F. Effect of speech therapy in conjunction with stress management via cognitive behavioral therapy on adult stuttering. Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies 2017; 7(13): 1-5. [In Persian].
  12. Beilby JM, Byrnes ML, Yaruss JS. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for adults who stutter: Psychosocial adjustment and speech fluency. J Fluency Disord 2012; 37(4): 289-99.
  13. Forman EM, Herbert JD. New directions in cognitive behavior therapy: Acceptance-based therapies. In: O'Donohue WT, Fisher JE, editors. General principles and empirically supported techniques of cognitive behavior therapy. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc; 2009. p. 77-101.
  14. Farpour S, Shafie B, Salehi A, Karimi H. Relationship of unhelpful thoughts and beliefs about stuttering with anxiety and depression in Persian-speaking adults who stutter. J Res Rehabil Sci 2012; 8(7 Suppl): 1173-85. [In Persian].
  15. Antony MM, Bieling PJ, Cox BJ, Enns MW, Swinson RP. Psychometric properties of the 42-item and 21-item versions of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in clinical groups and a community sample. Psychol Assess 1998; 10(2): 176-81.
  16. Samani Joukar. A study on the reliability and validity of the short form of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities of Shiraz University 2007; 26 (3 Special Issue in Education): 65-77. [In Persian].
  17. Henry JD, Crawford JR. The short-form version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21): Construct validity and normative data in a large non-clinical sample. Br J Clin Psychol 2005; 44(Pt 2): 227-39.
  18. Fathi-Ashtiani A. Psychological tests: Personality and mental health. 5th ed. Tehran, Iran: Besat Publications: 2011. [In Persian].
  19. Zemestani M, Gholizadeh Z, Alaei M. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on depression and anxiety of adhd childrens' mothers. Psychology of Exceptional Individuals 2018; 8(29): 61-84. [In Persian].
  20. Izadi R, Neshatdust HT, Asgari K, Abedi MR. Comparison of the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy on symptoms of treatment of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Res Behave Sci 2014; 12(1): 19-33. [In Persian].
  21. Salehi N, Neshatdoost HT, Afshar H. The impact of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment on psychological indicators (Depression, anxiety, and stress) in women with fibromyalgia. J Res Behav Sci 2018; 16(1): 78-83. [In Persian].