The effect of group psychotherapy based on acceptance and commitment on loneliness and social adjustment in girls with social anxiety disorder

Among the consequences of social anxiety disorder are psychological dysfunction, avoidance of social interactions and the development of avoidant personality in adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of group psychotherapy based on acceptance and commitment on loneliness and social adjustment in girls with social anxiety disorder.

The design of the present study was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with a control and follow-up group and its statistical population included all girls with social anxiety disorder who referred to counseling centers and psychological services in Tehran between the academic years 1397-1397. The research sample also included 30 of these individuals who were purposefully selected and replaced by random allocation in two groups of 15 experimental and control. In order to collect data, the Loneliness Scale (1980) and the Bell Social Adjustment Questionnaire (1961) were used, and in order to provide the intervention, Hayes and Rose (2008) psychotherapy package based on acceptance and commitment was used in 8 sessions 90 minute. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and SPSS V.21 software.

Data analysis showed that following the intervention in the experimental group, there was a significant difference in the scores of the variable feeling of loneliness in the post-test (43.60) and follow-up (45.51) compared to the pre-test (57.67) and the social adjustment variable. In the post-test (14.33) and follow-up (13.47) stages compared to the pre-test (18.40), group psychotherapy based on acceptance and commitment had significant positive effects on loneliness (F = 47.65, P <0.001) and social adjustment (F = 24.93, P <0.001) left the experimental group, which remained in the follow-up stages.

Considering the effect of psychotherapy based on acceptance and commitment in reducing loneliness and improving social adjustment in people with social anxiety disorder, it is recommended that this treatment method be used to reduce the suffering of loneliness in this group of people.