The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the psychological flexibility of the elderly women

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 psychology depatment,faculty of education and psychology

2 psycholigy department,faculty of education and psycholigy

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the psychological flexibility of elderly women in Tehran.




Method: We conducted our study with a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and follow-up fram. A total sample of 50 elderly women referred to health centers in Tehran were randomly selected and assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of 45 minutes acceptance and commitment therapy, while no therapy administered on the control group. The psychological flexibility of the subjects was assessed using the Dennis and Winder Test in three stages of the research. Final data were analyzed by Analysis of Covariance as well.
Results: Comparison of the study groups indicated significant difference for experimental group who received ACT. There was a significant difference in the psychological flexibility in the post-test, and this difference was stable in the follow up stage.




Conclusion: It could be concluded that the ACT intervention effectively increase the flexibility of the elderly women and is recommended to clinical psychologists for increasing the elderly women flexibility.

Keywords

Main Subjects


1-M R, AA A, F K. predicting mental health in elderly people over 65 years based on the components of the McKinley elderly spiritual model. University of Shiraz. 2011.
2-Aboei A, Sahaf R, Aliakbari A, & , Mohamadi F. the effect of package of elderly services of Neshat Yazd elderly people on quality of life and daily activities of instrumental life of elderly women referring to 2011. University of welfare and rehabilitation science. 2012.
3- Froghan M. screening dementia. Tehran: : publication arjmand. 2010.
4- Sheibani F, Pakdaman S, Dadkhah A, &, Hasanzade M. the effect of music therapy on depression and loneliness in the elderly. Journal of Iranian Elderly. 2010; 5(2): 54-60.
5- Mokhtari F, Ghasemi N. comparison of the quality of life and mental health in the elderly living/not living in the elderly. Journal of Iranian Elderly. 2010; 5(4): 53-63.
6- Norozi K. the foundations of social services based on the community of the elderly. Tehran: publication rasane takhasosi. 2008.
7-  Bagheri-Nesami M, Hamzehgardeshi Z. Experiencing the onset of aging: a qualitative study. Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. 2013; 23(102): 26-38.
8-  Crimmins EM. Trends in the health of the elderly. Annu Rev Public Health. 2004; 25: 79-98.
9-  Behzadi A, Shahidi M, Farokhi NA. effect of Cannariy laughter on increasing general health of elderly man living in Shahid Hasheminejad nursing home. University of Alame Tabatabae. 2010.
10- Izadimehr M. ACT & mental health. Ghom: publication: Yas Bakhshayesh. 2016.
11 Heyes SC, Strosahl KD, Wilson KG. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: An The third wave of  behavioral and cognitive therapies. Journal Of Behavior Therapy. 1999; 35: 639-65.
12- Cuijpers P, Van Straten A, Warmerdam L. Behavioral activation treatments of depression: A meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review. 2007; 27(3): 318-26.
13- Michaela A, Swales A, Hedi L. Dialectical Behavior Therapy. London and New York2009.
14- Heyes SC. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and third wave of behavioral and cognitive therapies  Journal Of  Behavior Therapy. 2004; 35: 639-66.
15- Hayes SC, Pistorello J, Levin ME. Acceptance and commitment therapy as a unified model of behavior change. The Counseling Psychologist. 2012; 40(7): 976-1002.
16- SC. H. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and third wave of behavioral and cognitive therapies. Journal Of  Behavior Therapy. 2004; 35: 639-66.
17- Izadi R, Asgari K, Neshatdost HT, Abedi MR. case report of the effectiveness of acceptance therapy on the frequency and symptoms obsessive compulsive disorder. Journal of Medical Science Research Hamedan. 2012; 4(1): 20-6.
18- Kashdan TB, Barrios V, Fosy jp, Steger MF. Experimental avoidance as a generalized psychology vulnerability: comparisons with coping and emotional regulation strategies. Journal Of Behavior Research and Therapy. 2006; 44: 1301-20.
19- Behroz. B., Bavali F, Heidarizade N, Farhadi M. the effectiveness of Acceptance and commitment therapy on the psychological symptoms of coping style and quality of life type 2 Diabetic patients. Journal Of health and hyginie. 2016; 7(2): 235-73.
20- Norian L, Aghae A, Ghorbani M. The effectiveness of Emotional Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Obese women. Journal Of Knowledge and research in applied psychology. 2015; 16(2): 15-23.
21- Sookman D, Steketee G. Specialized cognitive behavior therapy for treatment resistant obsessive compulsive disorder.  Treatment resistant anxiety disorders: Resolving impasses to symptom remission: Routledge. 2010; 31-74.
22- Sookman D, Leahy RL. Treatment resistant anxiety disorders: Resolving impasses to symptom remission: Taylor & Francis. 2009.
23- Hayes SC. Climbing our hills: A beginning conversation on the comparison of acceptance and commitment therapy and traditional cognitive behavioral therapy. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice. 2008; 15(4): 286-95.
24- Soltani E, Shareh H, Bahrainian SA, Farmani A. The mediating role of cognitive flexibility in correlation of coping styles and resilience with depression. Pajoohandeh Journal. 2013; 18(2): 88-96.
25- Fazeli M, EhteshamZade P, Hashemi E. the effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral therapy on the cognitive flexibility of Depressed people. Journal of Thought and behavior in clinical psychology. 2014; 9(34): 27-36.
26- Jahangiri M, GolMohamadian M, Hojatkhah M. the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on psychological flexibility and ruminating in Methadone treated addicts. University Razi. 2016.
27- Hatamian P, Mohamadi Na, & , Taghavi MR. Effectiveness of group therapy on admission and Commitment on depression anxiety, quality of life and psychological flexibility in adolescents with emotional disturbances. University Shiraz. 2016.
28- Mohammadi E, Keshavarzi F, Salehi M, Valiallah F. effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment therapy on marital satisfaction, psychological flexibility and quality of life in depressed women with marital conflicts. University of a Azad Eslami. 2015.
29- Moghtadae M, KhoshAkhlagh H. the effectiveness  of Acceptance and Commitment therapy on the psychological flexibility of veteran Wives. Journal of veteran medicine. 2015; 7(4).
30- GHomian S, SHaeri M. preliminary designing of the Acceptance and Commitment treatment protocol for children with chronic pain and its effect on the psychological flexibility of children aged 7 to 12 years to pain. Journal of Behavioral Science Research. 2014; 4: 581-92.
31- Deval C, Bernard-Curie S, Monestès J-L. Effects of an acceptance and commitment therapy intervention on leaders’ and managers’ psychological flexibility. Journal de Thérapie Comportementale et Cognitive. 2017; 27(1): 34-42.
32- Scott W, McCracken LM. Psychological flexibility, acceptance and commitment therapy, and chronic pain. Current Opinion in Psychology. 2015; 2: 91-6.
33- Twohig MP, Vilardaga JCP, Levin ME, Hayes SC. Changes in psychological flexibility during acceptance and commitment therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. 2015; 4(3): 196-202.
34- Masuda A, Tully EC. The role of mindfulness and psychological flexibility in somatization, depression, anxiety, and general psychological distress in a nonclinical college sample. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine. 2012; 17(1): 66-71.
35- Dennis JP, Vander Wal JS. The cognitive flexibility inventory: Instrument development and estimates of reliability and validity. Cognitive therapy and research. 2010; 34(3): 241-53.
36- Hayes S, Masuda A, De Mey H. Acceptance and commitment therapy: Een derde-generatie gedragstherapie [Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the third wave of behavior therapy]. Gedragstherapie. 2003; 36(2): 69-96.