Community Health Journal

Community Health Journal

A Comparison of the Effect of Existentialism Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Compassion-Focused therapy on Meaning in the Life of Depressed Adolescent Girls

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Z Mohammadi 1
H Atashpour 2
M Golparvar 3
1 Ph.D. Student, Dept of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran
2 Associate Prof, Dept of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran
3 Associate Prof, Dept of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran.
10.22123/chj.2023.313794.1809
Abstract
Introduction: Depression is a common psychiatric disorder in adolescent girls, and lack of meaning in the life is an effective factor in its occurrence. Thus, this study is conducted to compare the effectiveness of existentialism acceptance and commitment therapy and compassion-focused therapy on meaning in the life of depressed adolescent girls.
Materials and Methods: The statistical population of this semi-experimental study included depressed adolescent girls in Isfahan in 2021. Among them, 45 people were selected by the purposive sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental and one control group. Subjects completed the Steger Life Meaning Questionnaire. The experimental groups underwent ten sessions of the two therapies. Further, data were analyzed using univariate, multivariate analysis of covariance and the Bonferroni post-hoc test. The significance level of the tests was considered 0.05.
Results: The results showed that both therapies significantly increased the life meaning, as well as two components of its search and presence (p<0.05). In addition, a significant difference was observed between the two therapy methods concerning the meaning of life (p<0.05); thus, existentialism acceptance and commitment therapy had a greater increasing effect on the meaning of life.
Conclusion: The findings of this study were experimental support for these two therapies to increase the meaning of life in depressed adolescent girls. Awareness of psychotherapists of these approaches in the health field can help overcome depression and experience a meaningful life.
Keywords
Existentialism Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Compassion-focused Therapy
Meaning in Life
Adolescent
Depression
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