Feasibility and effect of a self-help online acceptance and commitment therapy program focused on repetitive negative thinking for Colombian young women

Abstract

Online psychological interventions (OPI) are evidence-based programs that provide mental health treatment over the internet. Meta-analytic data suggests that OPI's effectively treat emotional symptomatology. RNT-focused ACT consider psychological inflexibility and RNT as trans-diagnostic process that significantly predict emotional symptomatology. The present study analyzed the effect of a self-help OPI which contents have previously shown content validity, user feasibility and effectivity. This is an open trial design with repeated measures of emotional symptomatology and behavioral change processes. Bayesian analysis of variance for repeated measures was conducted with JASP for each variable, Bayes Factors (BF10) determined how much the evidence favored OPI effect. Effect sizes, reliable and significant change and moderation analyses were also conducted. 18 cisgender women around 30 years old mostly heterosexual, single and unemployed finished the OPI. There is decisive evidence for OPI effect on emotional symptomatology and behavioral change processes (experiential avoidance, cognitive fusion and RNT). There is also anecdotal evidence for the moderating role of the number of hierarchical RNT triggers (abstract private events), their type and intimate partner relationship distress as well as anecdotal evidence against the moderating role of being a psychologist. Results need to be considered in the context of the study limitations and future research should explore the program's feasibility and effect in other populations and cultures. However, the program is feasible and efficacious for the treatment of emotional symptomatology at least for young cisgender women in Colombia.