Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Reducing Perceived Stress and Enhancing Social Adjustment in Youths with Visual Impairment

Document Type : Original article

Authors

1 MA. of Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Education of People with Special Needs, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

4 PhD. Student of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: Visually impaired compared to sighted youths experience more perceived stress and less social adjustment. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on reducing perceived stress and enhancing the social adjustment of youths with visual impairment.
Materials and Methods: The statistical population of the present study included all youth with blindness and severe visual impairment aged 20-35 in Isfahan having a dossier in the Welfare Organization of Isfahan county and blind associations. Among these people, 40 with visual impairment were selected using convenient sampling method and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research instruments included Cohen’s Perceived Stress Questionnaire (1983) and the California Social Adjustment Questionnaire (1939). The data were analyzed running repeated measure ANOVA using SPSS, version 24.
Results: We found that in the post-test phase, compared to the control group, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy group had lower scores in perceived stress and higher scores in social adjustment (p < 0.01) and this pattern maintained one month after treatment (p < 0/05).
Conclusion: Therefore, it seems that ACT is a promising treatment for reducing perceived stress and enhancing the social adjustment of youths with visual impairment.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Milanifar B. Psychology of exceptional children and adolescents. Tehran: Ghoomes Publication; 2013. P.248. ##
  2. World Health Organization. Blindness and visual impairment. 2018. WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment. Accessed October 16, 2019. ##
  3. World Health Organization. Global data on visual impairment. 2010. WHO. Available at: https://www.who.int/blindness/GLOBALDATAFINALforweb.pdf. Accessed October 16, 2019. ##
  4. Maleki Tabar A, Khoshkonesh A., Khodabakhshi Koolabi A. Comparison of self-concept and social adjustment of blind and healthy boy students. Zahedan J Res Med Sci. 2011; 13(10):33-39. ##
  5. Oleszkiewicz A, Pisanski K, Sorokowska A. Does blindness influence trust? A comparative study on social trust among blind and sighted adults. Pers Indiv Diff. 2017; 111:238-41.##
  6. West SK, Rubin GS, Broman AT, Munoz B, Bandeen-Roche K, Turano K. How does visual impairment affect performance on tasks of everyday life? The SEE project, Salisbury eye evaluation. Arch Ophthalmol. 2002;120(6):774-80. ##
  7. Kirchner CE, Gerber EG, Smith BC. Designed to deter: community barriers to physical activity for people with visual or motor impairments. Am J Prev Med. 2008;34(4):349-52. ##
  8. Evans JR, Fletcher AE, Wormald RP. Depression and anxiety in visually impaired older people. Ophthalmol. 2007;114(2):283-8. ##
  9. Kauffman JM, Hallahan DP. Handbook of special education. US: Routledge Publishers. 2011. ##
  10. Coffey M, Coufopoulos A, Kinghorn K. Barriers to employment for visually impaired women. Int J Workplace Health Management. 2014; 7(3):171-85. ##
  11. Henderson NY. Self-Efficacy beliefs of Teachers of Students who are Visually Impaired in Ohio. Concordia University Chicago. US: Routledge. 2014. ##
  12. Rickelman BL. Behaviors of sighted individuals perceived by blind persons as hindrances to self-reliance in blind persons. J Vis Imp Blind. 2003; 77:8-11.##
  13. Eniola MS. The influence of emotional intelligence and self-regulation strategies on remediation of aggressive behaviors in adolescents with visual impairments. Ethno-Med. 2007; 1(1):71-7. ##
  14. Danes-Staples E, Lieberman LJ, Ratcliff J, Rounds K. Bullying experiences of individuals with visual impairment: the mitigating role of sport participation. J Sport Behav. 2012; 36(4):365-87. ##
  15. Kef S. Psychosocial adjustment and the meaning of social support for visually impaired adolescents. J Vis Imp Blind. 2002; 96(1):22-37. ##
  16. Khadka J, Ryan B, Margrain TH, Woodhouse JM. Listening to voices of children with a visual impairment: A focus group study. Brit J Vis Imp. 2012; 30(3):182-96. ##
  17. Russ H. [An Interview with Dr. Russ Harris Concerning Acceptance and Commitment Therapy]. Tehran: Psychology Services and Life Consultation Website. 2014. ##
  18. Zettle RD, Hayes SC. Brief ACT treatment of depression. In: Bond F, Dryden W. Editors. Handbook of brief cognitive behavior therapy. West Sussex: John Wiley & sons ltd. 2004. ##
  19. Hayes SC. Practical Guide to Acceptance and commitment therapy. New York: Springer Science and Business Media Inc. 2010. ##
  20. Hayes SC, Luoma JB, Bond FW, Masuda A, Lillis J. Acceptance and commitment therapy: model, processes and outcomes. Behav Res Ther. 2006; 44:1-25. ##
  21. Forman EM, Herbert JD, Moitra E, Yeomans PD, Geller PA. A randomized controlled effectiveness trial of acceptance and commitment therapy and cognitive therapy for anxiety and depression. Behav Mod. 2007; 31(6):772-99.##
  22. Biglan A, Hayes SC, Pistorello J. Acceptance and commitment: implications for prevention science. Prev Sci. 2008: 9:132-52. ##
  23. Beilby JM, Byrnes ML, Yaruss JS. Acceptance and commitment therapy for adults who stutter: Psychosocial functioning and speech fluency. J Fluen Disord. 2012; 37(4):289-99. ##
  24. Tajvar Rostami S, Rahimi Khorasgani F, Kazemi M. The effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on depression and adjustment of blind girls. J Clin Psychol Achiev. 2016; 2(2): 49-66. ##
  25. Poorseyyed SR, Habibollahi SV, Faramarzi S. Effectiveness of life skills training program on adjustment of blind and low-vision students. Edu Stra Med Sci. 2010; 3(1):3-4. ##
  26. Khademi MJ, Abedi MR. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on quality of life and psychological health of blind girl in Isfahan. Knowle Res Applied Psychol. 2015; 16(4):32-44. ##
  27. Talebzadeh S. Effectiveness of music therapy with religious approach on behavioral disorders and exam anxiety of blind and low-vision students. J Women Culture. 2015. 7(23):47-58. ##
  28. Jalaeeyan Ghebleh S, Teymoori S. Effectiveness of cognitive-behavior group therapy on shyness in blind and low-vision psychology students. 2nd National Conference of Research and Therapy in Clinical Psychology in Torbat-e Jam. 2014. ##
  29. Rahnama M. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on perceived stress, stress coping strategies, psychological distress, and therapeutic compliance in coronary patients in Isfahan [M.A. Thesis]. Khorasgan Azad University. 2013. ##
  30. Kakavand A, Bagheri M, Shirmohammadi F. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on stress reduction in male older adults. Aging Psychol. 2015; 1(3):169-78.
  31. Alavizadeh F, Shakerian F. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on reduction of stress, depression, and anxiety in women with extramarital, emotional and sexual relationships. J Psychonursery. 2016; 8(4):6-15. ##
  32. Mousavi M, Dashtbozorgi Z. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy on hardiness and perceived stress of patients with diabetes with type 2. Q health Psychol Health Enhance. 2017; 5(4): 311-9. ##
  33. Shaker Ardakani L, Zare R. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on social and emotional adjustment of mothers with disable children in Yazd. 3rd International Conference of Modern Researches in Humanities. Italy. 2016. ##
  34. Saeedi M, Khalatbari J. Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on adjustment and quality of life of disables supported by Social Welfare Organization. Q Edu Psychol. 2016; 7(1): 53-62. ##
  35. Brinkborg H, Josefin M, Hesser H, Berglund G. Acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of stress among social workers: A randomized controlled trial. Behav Res Ther. 2011; 49:389-98. ##
  36. Stafford-Brown J, Pakenham KI. The effectiveness of an ACT informed intervention for managing stress and improving therapist’s qualities in clinical psychology trainees. J Clin Psychol. 2012; 68(6):592-613. ##
  37. Whiting DL, Simpson GK, McLeod HJ, Deane FP, Ciarrochi J. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for psychological adjustment after traumatic brain injury: Reporting a protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Brain Imp. 2012; 3(13):360-76. ##
  38. Mulcahy H, Wynne B, McHugh L, Rowan C, Byrne K, Keegan D, Dooley B. A randomized controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for the treatment of stress in inflammatory bowel disease. J Crohn's Colitis. 2017; 11(1):266-76. ##
  39. Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J health and social Behav. 1983: 24:385-96. ##
  40. Yu R, Ho SC. Psychometric evaluation of the perceived stress scale in early postmenopausal Chinese women. Psychol. 2010; 1:1-8.  ##
  41. Hasanzadeh Lif Shagerd M, Tarkhan M, Taghizadeh M. Effectiveness of stress inoculation on perceived stress of pregnant women with experience of infertility. J Holistic Nursing & Midwifery. 2013; 70:27-34. ##
  42. Safaee MV, Shokri A. Assessment of stress in patients with cancer: Factorial validity of perceived stress scale in Iran. Psychonursery. 2014; 2(1):13-22. ##
  43. Khodayarifard M, Nosfat M, Ghobari Bonab B, Shokoohi Yekta M, Behpezhooh A. Factors associated with social adjustment of persons with and without injury in war in Tehran. Final report of research project supported by veteran foundation. 2002. ##
  44. Seddighi K. Effectiveness of cognitive-behavior training of self-esteem on social adjustment of boy students of 3rd grade of Neyshaboor’s high schools [M.A. Thesis of counseling]. Isfahan: Faculty of educational sciences and psychology. 2001. ##
  45. Khodayarifard M. Investigating the factors associated with social adjustment in students. 2006; Research project supported by veteran foundation of Iran. 2006. ##
  46. Attari Y, Shahaghi Yeylagh M, Kouchaki AM, Bashlideh K. Effectiveness of social skill training on personal-social adjustment of delinquent adolescents in Gonbad Kavoos. J Edu Sci Psychol. 2005; 12(2):25-46. ##
  47. Howell DC. Statistics for psychology. 8th edition. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning. 2013. ##
  48. Soysa CK, Wilcomb CJ. Mindfulness, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and gender as predictors of depression, anxiety, stress, and well-being. Mindfulness. 2015; 6:217-26. ##
  49. Flaxman PE, Bond FW. A randomized worksite comparison of acceptance and commitment therapy and stress inoculation training. Behav Res Ther. 2010: 48:816-20. ##
  50. Bonanno GA, Papa A, Lalande K, Westphal M, Coifman K. The importance of being flexible: the ability of enhance and suppress emotional expression predicts long-term adjustment. Psycholo Sci. 2004; 15(7):482-7. ##
  51. Marshal E, Brockman R. The relationship between psychological flexibility, self-compassion and emotional well-being. J Cogn Psychother. 2016; 30(1):60-72. ##
  52. Palai PK, Kumar P. Relationship among stress, adjustment and homesickness in university students. Int J Innovative Res Multidisciplin Field. 2016; 2(6): 101-5. ##
  53. Omidi AV, Mohammadkhani P. Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: Conceptual and empirical review. J Health Psychol. 2008; 1(1):29-38. ##
  54. Baruch DE, Kanter JW, Busch AM, Juskiewicz KL. Enhancing the therapy relationship in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for psychotic symptoms. Clinical Case Studies. 2009; 8(3):241-57. ##
  55. Carmody J, Baer RA. Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. J Behav Med. 2008; 31:23-33. ##
  56. Gloster AT, Gerlach AL, Hamm A, Höfler M, Alpers GW, Kircher T, Reif A. 5HTT is associated with the phenotype psychological flexibility: Results from a randomized clinical trial .Eur Arc Psychiat Clin Neurosci. 2015; 265:399-406. ##
The Scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
Volume 9, Issue 4
January 2021
Pages 71-81

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 16 November 2019
  • Revise Date: 24 January 2020
  • Accept Date: 27 January 2020
  • First Publish Date: 21 December 2020

Share

How to cite

Statistics