Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Reducing Panic, Blame-Anger, and Withdrawal Symptoms in COVID-19 Bereaved Individuals
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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ACT in reducing panic behavior, blame-anger, and withdrawal symptoms among individuals grieving the loss of loved ones to COVID-19.
Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was employed. A total of 30 bereaved individuals (aged 20–50) from Khorramabad, Iran, were recruited via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) receiving eight sessions of ACT or a control group (n = 15) receiving no intervention. The Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist was used to assess symptoms related to grief. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA.
Findings: ACT significantly reduced panic behavior (p< .05, η² = 0.608), blame-anger (p< .05, η² = 0.714), and withdrawal symptoms (p< .05, η² = 0.586) in the intervention group compared to controls. Effect sizes indicated strong clinical relevance.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that ACT is an effective intervention for managing grief-related emotional distress among COVID-19 bereaved individuals. Given the persistence of grief symptoms, future research should explore the long-term efficacy of ACT and compare its effectiveness with other therapeutic approaches.
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