The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Training on Psychological Flexibility and Parental Psychological Control in Parents of Adolescents Aged 12–16 Years
Keywords:
Acceptance and Commitment, based training, psychological flexibility, parental psychological controlAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training in improving psychological flexibility and reducing parental psychological control among parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years in Dowlatabad, Isfahan.
Methods and Materials: This applied study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of parents of adolescents aged 12–16 years residing in Dowlatabad, Isfahan. A total of 30 eligible parents were selected through multistage cluster sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group received eight 90-minute weekly ACT training sessions based on the Bond et al. protocol, whereas the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) and the Parental Locus of Control (PLOC) Scale. Multivariate analysis of covariance and follow-up univariate analyses of covariance were conducted using SPSS version 26.
Findings: Multivariate analysis of covariance indicated a statistically significant overall difference between the experimental and control groups in the combined dependent variables after controlling for pretest scores (Wilks’ λ=0.75, F(2,25)=3.98, p=0.03). Follow-up analyses of covariance demonstrated that ACT training had a statistically significant effect on parents’ psychological flexibility after adjustment for baseline scores (p<0.001). A statistically significant intervention effect was also observed for parental psychological control (p<0.001). Accordingly, the null hypotheses concerning the absence of intervention effects on both dependent variables were rejected.
Conclusion: ACT training appears to enhance parents’ psychological flexibility while reducing psychologically controlling parenting tendencies. Through processes such as acceptance, cognitive defusion, present-moment awareness, values clarification, and committed action, ACT may enable parents to respond more adaptively to the emotional and interpersonal challenges associated with adolescence. Therefore, this intervention may be useful in parent-focused psychological and family programs aimed at promoting more flexible and less controlling parent–adolescent interactions.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Melika Sadeghi (Author); Samaneh Mokhtari
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