Effects of an acceptance and commitment therapy intervention on leaders’ and managers’ psychological flexibility

Abstract

Summary Psychological flexibility, the ability to persist or change behavior even in the presence of challenging psychological events, was found as a central determinant of mental health and performance at work. Several studies showed that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions improve psychological flexibility, wellbeing and performance, and lead to lower levels of stress, depression, and burnout. To date, studies about the effects of such interventions were conducted with distressed employees, manual/technical or service workers. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the impact of an ACT intervention on psychological flexibility and wellbeing at work with leaders and senior managers, as specific populations who have to develop behavioral skills due to their positions. The evolution of psychological flexibility at work and various indicators of wellbeing in a group of 57 “high-functioning” participants receiving three 4-hours ACT sessions was compared to a control group receiving no intervention. Results of ANCOVAs showed that the ACT intervention resulted in a significant improvement in psychological flexibility at work with a moderate effect size compared to the control group, but no evolution in wellbeing in these high status participants.