Comparing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Help-Seeking Behavior among Adolescent Girls with Suicidal Ideation
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Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on help-seeking behavior among adolescent girls with suicidal ideation.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study used a pretest–posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. The participants were 45 female lower secondary school students in Varamin, Iran, during the 2023–2024 academic year. Participants were selected purposively based on scores above 6 on the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and clinical interviews, then randomly assigned to ACT, CBT, and control groups, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental groups received eight 90-minute sessions conducted twice weekly, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale–Short Form. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc tests.
Findings: After controlling for pretest scores, the intervention effect on help-seeking was significant, F(2,41) = 43.92, p < .001, η² = .68. Both CBT and ACT groups showed significantly higher help-seeking scores compared with the control group. The mean difference between CBT and control was 7.80 (p = .003), and between ACT and control was 10.26 (p = .001). However, no significant difference was found between ACT and CBT groups (p = .811).
Conclusion: Both ACT and CBT effectively improved help-seeking behavior among adolescent girls with suicidal ideation, but neither intervention demonstrated superiority over the other.
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