Acceptance and commitment therapy versus trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy: A comparative study of the effects on the posttraumatic stress symptoms of female Afghan adolescents.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to conduct a randomized control trial investigating the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) compared to a trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) in treating symptoms of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in female Afghan adolescents. Participants were randomly assigned to the ACT (20 participants; M = 14.8 [SD = 1.93]), TF-CBT (20 participants; M = 14.80 [SD = 1.85]), or waiting control group (23 participants; M = 15.47 [SD = 1.75]). At baseline, all groups completed Persian versions of the Child Revised Impact of Event Scale-13. The intervention groups then had eight group sessions of ACT or seven group sessions of TF-CBT. The control group had no additional contact. The Child Revised Impact of Event Scale-13 was readministered to all participants after 3 weeks. Analyses used analysis of covariance, with effect sizes measured by Cohen's d. In terms of PTSS, the groups did not differ significantly at preintervention. At postintervention, only the ACT and TF-CBT groups had significantly lower levels of PTSS compared to the control group. While there was no significant difference between ACT and TF-CBT groups in avoidance or arousal symptoms, we found a significant difference between groups in intrusion symptoms. The findings suggest that ACT and TF-CBT may be promising interventions for the treatment of PTSS in female Afghan adolescents and that further research in the area is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).