The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Cognitive Regulation of Emotion, Physical Mental Health, and Flow Experience in College Students

Subject Areas :

Seyed Mojtaba Aghili ¹ , Mani Mansoorian ²

1 - Assistant Professor, Payame Noor University, Gorgan, Iran. [e-mail]
2 - M.A, Payame Noor University, Gorgan, Iran

Received: 2024-02-04 Accepted : 2024-02-04 Published : 2023-08-23

Keywords: emotion regulation, Keywords: acceptance and commitment therapy, Physical Mental Health, Drowning Experience,

Abstract :

This study aimed to assess the impact of acceptance and commitment therapy on the cognitive regulation of emotion, mental-physical health, and the experience of flow in college students. Using a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group, the research involved undergraduate students from the Islamic Azad University of Gorgan in the academic year 2021-2022. Thirty students were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 each). Data were collected using Garnevsky et al.'s Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Weir and Sherburne's Health Background Questionnaire, and Jackson and Marsh's Drowning Experience Questionnaire at pre- and post-treatment stages. The experimental group underwent 8 sessions of group therapy based on acceptance and commitment, while the control group received no treatment. Data analysis employed univariate analysis of covariance test. Results indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy significantly influenced the cognitive regulation of emotion, psychological health, and the experience of flow in students (P < 0.05). The findings suggest that therapy based on acceptance and commitment can effectively enhance cognitive regulation of emotions, psychological health, and the experience of flow in students.Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Emotion Regulation, Physical Mental Health, Drowning Experience.