The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the psychological flexibility of the elderly women

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the psychological flexibility of elderly women in Tehran.
We conducted our study with a semi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest and follow-up fram. A total sample of 50 elderly women referred to health centers in Tehran were randomly selected and assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of 45 minutes acceptance and commitment therapy, while no therapy administered on the control group. The psychological flexibility of the subjects was assessed using the Dennis and Winder Test in three stages of the research. Final data were analyzed by Analysis of Covariance as well.
Comparison of the study groups indicated significant difference for experimental group who received ACT. There was a significant difference in the psychological flexibility in the post-test, and this difference was stable in the follow up stage.
It could be concluded that the ACT intervention effectively increase the flexibility of the elderly women and is recommended to clinical psychologists for increasing the elderly women flexibility.