Preliminary Effects of a Two-Day ACT-Based Workshop With DBT-Informed Distress-Tolerance Skills on Emotion Efficacy and Psychological Flexibility

Objective: This study examined preliminary changes in emotion efficacy and psychological flexibility following a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based group workshop augmented with DBT-informed distress-tolerance skills.

Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental repeated-measures design was used with assessments at pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Thirty adults (mean age=31.7 years, SD=7.9; 60% female) were randomly selected from registrants of a public psychology conference on emotion regulation and participated in a two-day workshop (6 hours/day). The intervention targeted ACT core processes (acceptance, defusion, present-moment awareness, self-as-context, values, committed action) and included selected DBT distress-tolerance and mindfulness skills. Outcomes were measured using the Emotion Efficacy Scale (EES) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II; reverse-scored so higher scores reflected greater psychological flexibility). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni-adjusted comparisons and partial eta-squared effect sizes.

Findings: Significant time effects were observed for emotion efficacy (F(2,58)=25.27, p<.001, η²=.36) and psychological flexibility (F(2,58)=75.21, p<.001, η²=.63). Mean scores improved from pre-test to post-test and were maintained at one-month follow-up (Emotion Efficacy: 34.35→38.46→38.40; Psychological Flexibility: 85.35→94.21→95.00). Bonferroni comparisons indicated a pattern of pre-test < post-test ≈ follow-up.

Conclusion: A brief ACT-based workshop with DBT-informed skills was associated with substantial short-term improvements in emotion efficacy and psychological flexibility in a non-clinical adult sample. Controlled trials with larger, more diverse samples are needed to establish causal efficacy and long-term durability.