A Mixed-Method Study Exploring the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Based Group Psychoeducation Program on Psychological Flexibility

Abstract

This study aims to develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based psychoeducation program for fostering psychological flexibility. The study employed a convergent mixed methods design. For the quantitative phase, the pre-test post-test control group experimental design was used, while in the qualitative phase, a thematic analysis was conducted. The study group consisted of 13 first-year students of the Department of Guidance and Counseling, and Psychology, aged between 18-22, 8 of whom are in the experiment group, and 5 in the control group. The students participated in 8 sessions of 90 minutes. Before and after the psychoeducation, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II was administered to the students and they were also asked to answer the formerly specified open-ended questions in writing. Mann Whitney U and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks tests were used for statistical analysis; while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative component of the study. Quantitative findings showed that psychoeducation significantly increased psychological flexibility, but the change was not at a level to differ from the control group; while qualitative findings revealed that participants experienced changes in 10 themes after psychoeducation. These themes are Being Present, Self-Control, Value-Based Actions, Defusion and Coping with Feelings and Thoughts, Knowledge of Self and Others, Acceptance, Non-Avoidance, Conflict and Crisis Management, Authenticity, and Anxiety. The quantitative and qualitative findings are discussed in light of the relevant literature.