anxiety

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on reducing anxiety symptoms and body image dissatisfaction in obese women. This semi-experimental study has control and experimental groups with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The study population included all women who were obese at Isfahan in 2012-2013, based on random sampling of 30 obese women who went to Sepahan health clinic in Isfahan, their score in Fisher's body image test was 46 to 138 and their score in Beck Anxiety Inventory was 17 to 63. They were randomly assigned to two groups of 15.

Objective

To assess the relationship between session-by-session mediators and treatment outcomes in traditional cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for social anxiety disorder.

Method

Session-by-session changes in negative cognitions (a theorized mediator of CBT) and experiential avoidance (a theorized mediator of ACT) were assessed in 50 adult outpatients randomized to CBT (n = 25) or ACT (n = 25) for DSM-IV social anxiety disorder.

Results

The study examined the relative efficacy of group acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) compared to group cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Fifty-one individuals with GAD were randomly allocated to a 6-week intervention, either ACT or CBT. Participants were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up on symptom measures, quality of life, and process measures. Data from 38 participants (19 in each group) were available at post-assessment, indicating significant improvements on all measures for both treatment conditions. Treatment gains were maintained at follow-up, with significant further improvements in anxiety, depression and stress symptoms for both groups.

Recent research has supported the use of mindfulness and acceptance-based interventions for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Objective

The purpose of the present study was to compare mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy (MAGT) with cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) with respect to outcome. It was hypothesized that MAGT and CBGT would both be superior to a control group but not significantly different from one another.

Method

A fair amount of research exists on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) as a model and a treatment for anxiety disorders and OCD spectrum disorders; this paper offers a quantitative account of this research. A meta-analysis is presented examining the relationship between psychological flexibility, measured by versions of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ and AAQ-II) and measures of anxiety. Meta-analytic results showed positive and significant relationships between the AAQ and general measures of anxiety as well as disorder specific measures. Additionally, all outcome data to date on ACT for anxiety and OCD spectrum disorders are reviewed, as are data on mediation and moderation within ACT.

Objective: Randomized comparisons of acceptance-based treatments with traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders are lacking. To address this gap, we compared acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to CBT for heterogeneous anxiety disorders.

Many university students suffer from test anxiety that is severe enough to impair performance. Given mixed efficacy results of previous cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) trials and a theoretically driven rationale, an acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABBT) approach was compared to traditional CBT (i.e., Beckian cognitive therapy; CT) for the treatment of test anxiety. In this pilot study, 16 university students with test anxiety were randomly assigned to receive either a CT or ABBT 2-hr group workshop. The two treatments produced markedly different effects on test performance (measured by exam scores), with those receiving ABBT experiencing improvements in performance, whereas those receiving CT exhibited reduced performance.

Public speaking anxiety (PSA), diagnosed at clinical levels as social anxiety disorder, nongeneralized type, is associated with significant distress and impairment in a substantial portion of the population (Aderka et al., 2012). Empirically supported behavioral treatments for PSA generally include in vivo and/or simulated exposure, usually presented with some form of rationale or context (e.g., habituation). Newer acceptance-based therapies frame exposure as an opportunity to increase one's willingness to experience anxiety, while engaging in valued behaviors.