Comparing the Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Metacognitive Therapy on Psychological Well-being in Women With Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Objective: This study compares the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and metacognitive therapy on psychological well-being in women with generalized anxiety disorder.  Methods: The current study has an applied purpose and utilizes a semi-experimental research method. It follows a pre-test-post-test design with a control group and includes a two-month follow-up phase. The target population for this research consists of women with generalized anxiety disorder, who were selected using the purposeful sampling method. The study was conducted in Tehran, Iran, during the summer and autumn of ۲۰۲۲. Following the research design, the participants were randomly divided into a control group (n=۱۷) and an experimental group (n=۱۷). A ۱۰-session therapy protocol based on acceptance and commitment was implemented for the members of the first experimental group, and a ۱۰-session protocol of metacognitive therapy was implemented for the second experimental group individually and in person. The Ryff scales of psychological well-being were conducted in three phases: before, after intervention, and follow-up. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using the analysis of variance with repeated measurements with the SPSS software, version ۲۵, at the significance level of ۰.۰۵. Results: The research identified a significant difference in the initial assessment results compared to the assessments conducted after the therapy in both groups (P<۰.۰۱). In other words, the findings indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy was more successful and consistent than metacognitive therapy. The disparity between the scores obtained after treatment and during the follow-up period was notable, indicating that acceptance and commitment therapy had a more powerful impact on treatment (P<۰.۰۵). Conclusion: The results suggested that women with general anxiety disorders benefited from therapy courses in terms of psychological well-being. Thus, unlike the meta-cognitive therapy, the results suggest that acceptance and commitment therapy-based exercises would be of additional value for improving psychological well-being. As this is the first study on the topic, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these two therapies for general anxiety in individuals.