Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Counseling in Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial was to determine the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based counseling on emotion regulation difficulties, psychological flexibility, and decision-making styles in women with a history of intimate partner violence. The study included women who sought care at the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of a state hospital, had a history of intimate partner violence, met the eligibility criteria, and volunteered to participate. A total of 60 women were assigned to the experimental group (n=30) or control group (n=30) using stratified block randomization. Data were collected using an Individual Information Form, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form, the Psychological Flexibility Scale, and the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire. Data were collected from both groups at two time points, as pre-test and post-test assessments, between October 2023 and January 2024. Following the pre-test assessments, participants in the experimental group received six sessions of ACT-based counseling, while participants in the control group received no intervention during the study period. After completion of the intervention, post-test assessments were administered to both groups. The study compared the experimental and control groups to evaluate the effects of ACT-based counseling on emotion regulation difficulties, psychological flexibility, and decision-making styles.

This randomized controlled study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based counseling on emotion regulation difficulties, psychological flexibility, and decision-making styles in women with a history of intimate partner violence who sought psychiatric care. The study population consisted of women who applied to the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic of a state hospital and had a history of intimate partner violence. Women who met the eligibility criteria and volunteered to participate were included in the study. A total of 60 participants were assigned to the experimental group (n=30) or the control group (n=30) using stratified block randomization. Before the intervention, pre-test data were collected from participants in both groups using the Individual Information Form, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Short Form, the Psychological Flexibility Scale, and the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire. Prior to the intervention, participants in the experimental group attended a brief preparatory meeting for initial introduction, collection of contact information, and scheduling of the first ACT session. This preparatory meeting was not part of the ACT intervention. Participants subsequently received six sessions of ACT-based counseling at intervals of 7-10 days, with each session lasting approximately 30-60 minutes. The first ACT session was conducted individually and face-to-face in an appropriate room at the psychiatry outpatient clinic, while the remaining five sessions were conducted online via video communication using FaceTime, Zoom, or WhatsApp. Participants in the control group received no intervention during the study period. After completion of the six ACT-based counseling sessions, post-test assessments were administered to participants in both the experimental and control groups. Data collection was conducted between October 2023 and January 2024. The experimental and control groups were compared to evaluate changes in emotion regulation difficulties, psychological flexibility, and decision-making styles following the intervention.