1. Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on emotional regulation and loneliness of divorced women in Iran
- Author
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Elahe Ghanbarian, Neda Rayesh, Marziyeh Rezaee, and Abdolbaset Mahmoudpour
- Subjects
050103 clinical psychology ,Sociology and Political Science ,Social Psychology ,Iran ,Acceptance and commitment therapy ,Divorce ,Intervention (counseling) ,medicine ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Acceptance and Commitment Therapy ,Group study ,Loneliness ,05 social sciences ,Emotional regulation ,Emotional Regulation ,UCLA Loneliness Scale ,Clinical Psychology ,050902 family studies ,Social exclusion ,Female ,0509 other social sciences ,medicine.symptom ,Psychology ,Social Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Clinical psychology - Abstract
Ineffective emotional regulation and loneliness both play a key role in the development of mental disorders. Divorced individuals are particularly predisposed to loneliness in cultures where post-divorce relationships are uncommon or stigmatized. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on the emotional regulation and loneliness of divorced women in Iran, a culture with strong honor values that condemn post-divorce relationships for women leading to increased levels of loneliness and social exclusion in divorced Iranian women. The present study was carried out using a pretest-posttest control group study design. The research sample consisted of 30 divorced women who were randomly assigned to experimental (vs. control) groups. In order to evaluate the variables of interest, the emotional regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and UCLA Loneliness Scale were used. Divorced women in the experimental group were treated using ACT techniques in eight sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. Results of analysis of covariance showed a significant increase in the adaptive emotional regulation of divorced women in the experimental group after the intervention. In addition, there was a significant reduction in the loneliness of divorced women who received the ACT intervention. We find that the ACT intervention improves emotional regulation and reduces loneliness in divorced women in Iran.
- Published
- 2021