Randomized Controlled Trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Afghan Adolescent Girls

Abstract

This study is a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms in adolescent girls in the aftermath of suicide attacks in Afghanistan. The participants (n = 43) were students at a private school in Kabul. The Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13) was completed by all participants after meeting the inclusion criteria. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control (waiting list) groups. There were 20 participants in the experimental group and 23 participants in the waiting list group. The experimental group received three ACT sessions a week for eight total intervention sessions. Four weeks after baseline, the ACT and control groups completed the CRIES-13 again. Multivariate analysis of covariance showed a significant difference between the ACT group and the waitlist control group in CRIES-13 total scores and subscales of arousal, intrusion, and avoidance at the post-test phase. We conclude that ACT resulted in an effective reduction in PTSD symptoms for adolescent Afghan girls. This success suggests that the intervention could be used in other treatment centers to reduce the symptoms of PTSD.