Comparison of the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Reality Therapy in Increasing the Psychological Well-Being of Families of COVID-19 Deceased
Keywords:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, reality therapy, psychological well-being, families of COVID-19 deceased, COVID-19Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Reality Therapy in enhancing the psychological well-being of families of individuals who died from COVID-19.
Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, control group design with a three-month follow-up. The sample consisted of 45 family members of COVID-19 deceased individuals in Mashhad, who were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (ACT and Reality Therapy) and one control group (15 participants each). The two experimental groups participated in eight weekly 90-minute group sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Carol Ryff Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire (2002) administered at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Data analysis was conducted using repeated-measures ANCOVA in SPSS version 24.
Findings: Results showed that both therapeutic approaches significantly increased psychological well-being in the experimental groups compared to the control group at post-test and follow-up (p<0.05). Furthermore, mean score comparisons indicated that ACT had greater effectiveness than Reality Therapy in enhancing psychological well-being, and this superiority further increased during the three-month follow-up period.
Conclusion: Both ACT and Reality Therapy were effective in improving the psychological well-being of families of COVID-19 deceased, but ACT demonstrated greater effectiveness. These findings can inform psychologists and counselors in selecting more effective interventions to mitigate psychological consequences in similar crisis contexts.
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