Jundishapur Scientific Medical Journal

Jundishapur Scientific Medical Journal

Comparing the Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Compassion Therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on the Cognitive Flexibility of Students with Social Anxiety

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mehran Shahroyi 1
Abdol majid Bahrainian 2
Mahnaz Mehrabizade Honarmand 3
Ghasem Ahi 4
1 PhD Student , Department of Psychology, Bi.c, Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran.
2 Professor, Department of Psychology, Bi.c., Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran.
3 Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Education and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
4 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Bi.c, Islamic Azad University, Birjand, Iran.
10.32592/jsmj.24.2.207
Abstract
Background and Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy on the cognitive flexibility of students with social anxiety of first-year high school students aged 13-16 years with social anxiety in Ahvaz.
Subjects and Methods This research employed a pre-test-post-test follow-up design with a control group. In the initial sampling stage, one district (comprising three girls' and three boys' schools) was selected from Ahvaz's four districts using random cluster sampling. All students in the selected district were then screened using the Leibovitz Social Anxiety Scale (Misa & Warren, 2003). Individuals scoring above the cutoff were identified as having social anxiety, and 60 of these individuals were randomly assigned to four experimental and control groups (15 participants per group). The Cognitive Flexibility Questionnaire (Dennis & Fenderwall, 2010) was used as the research instrument. The acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy groups each received 8 intervention sessions. Fifteen participants were assigned to the control group, which received no treatment and was placed on a waiting list.
Results The research findings indicated a significant difference in mean cognitive flexibility scores between the three experimental groups and the control group.
Conclusion Specifically, the results suggest that acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy can improve cognitive flexibility in students with social anxiety.
Keywords
Cognitive flexibility
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Compassion therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy

  •  

    • AYAR D, BEKTAŞ İ, BEKTAŞ M, SÜLÜN A. The Impact of Personality Traits and Intercultural Sensitivities of Nursing Students on Their Professional Values. Sağlık ve Hemşirelik Yönetimi Dergisi. 2019;6(2):110-20.
    • Arimitsu K, Hitokoto H, Kind S, Hofmann SG. Differences in compassion, well-being, and social anxiety between Japan and the USA. Mindfulness. 2019 May 15;10:854-62.[ 1007/s12671-018-1045-6 ][PMID]
    • Baer RA. Mindfulness, assessment, and transdiagnostic processes. Psychological Inquiry. 2007 Oct 19;18(4):238-42.[] [PMID]
    • Baer RA, Smith GT, Allen KB. Assessment of mindfulness by self-report: The Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills. Assessment. 2004 Sep;11(3):191-206. [1177/1073191104268029 ] [PMID]
    • Bahrami B, Bahrami A, Mashhadi A, Kareshki H. The role of cognitive emotion-regulation strategies in the quality of life of cancer patients. Medical journal of mashhad university of medical sciences. 2015 Apr 21;58(2):96-105.
    • Baker SL, Heinrichs N, Kim HJ, Hofmann SG. The Liebowitz social anxiety scale as a self-report instrument: a preliminary psychometric analysis. Behaviour research and therapy. 2002 Jun 1;40(6):701-15. [1016/s0005-7967(01)00060-2 ] [PMID]
    • Di Ruscio A, Fienga A, Durante D, Iess L, Laskar J, Gastineau M. Analysis of Cassini radio tracking data for the construction of INPOP19a: A new estimate of the Kuiper belt mass. Astronomy & Astrophysics. 2020 Aug 1;640:A7.
    • Garnevski D. Implementation of software architecture for complex analysis of solar corona images. TECHSYS 2017. 2017.
    • Veehof MM, Oskam MJ, Schreurs KM, Bohlmeijer ET. Acceptance-based interventions for the treatment of chronic pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pain®. 2011 Mar 1;152(3):533-42. [1016/j.pain.2010.11.002 ] [PMID]
    • Johnson W, Krueger RF. How money buys happiness: genetic and environmental processes linking finances and life satisfaction. Journal of personality and social psychology. 2006 Apr;90(4):680.[ 1037/0022-3514.90.4.680 ] [PMID]
    • Heins MJ, Knoop H, Burk WJ, Bleijenberg G. The process of cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: which changes in perpetuating cognitions and behaviour are related to a reduction in fatigue?. Journal of psychosomatic research. 2013 Sep 1;75(3):235-41.[ 1016/j.jpsychores.2013.06.034 ] [PMID]
    • Kocovski NL, Fleming JE, Rector NA. Mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy for social anxiety disorder: An open trial. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. 2009 Aug 1;16(3):276-89.
    • Kirk U, Staiano W, Hu E, Ngnoumen C, Kunkle S, Shih E, Clausel A, Purvis C, Lee L. App-based mindfulness for attenuation of subjective and physiological stress reactivity in a population with elevated stress: randomized controlled trial. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 2023 Oct 13;11:e47371. [2196/47371 ] [PMID]
    • Kudlek L, Jones RA, Hughes C, Duschinsky R, Hill A, Richards R, Thompson M, Vincent A, Griffin SJ, Ahern AL. Experiences of emotional eating in an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy based weight management intervention (SWiM): A qualitative study. Appetite. 2024 Feb 1;193:107138. [1016/j.appet.2023.107138 ] [PMID]
    • Neff KD. Self-compassion: Theory, method, research, and intervention. Annual review of psychology. 2023 Jan 18;74(1):193-218. [1146/annurev-psych-032420-031047 ] [PMID]
    • Neff KD. Self‐compassion, self‐esteem, and well‐being. Social and personality psychology compass. 2011 Jan;5(1):1-2.
    • Gilbert P, Procter S. Compassionate mind training for people with high shame and self‐criticism: Overview and pilot study of a group therapy approach. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy: An International Journal of Theory & Practice. 2006 Nov;13(6):353-79.
    • Neff KD, Germer CK. A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self‐compassion program. Journal of clinical psychology. 2013 Jan;69(1):28-44. [1002

  • Receive Date 18 August 2025