Comparing the Effectiveness of Family Based Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Self-Concept of Female Students with Anorexia Nervosa

The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of family-based therapy for anorexia and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the self-concept of female students suffering from anorexia nervosa. The method was quasi-experimental, pre-test and post-test and quarterly follow-up with the control group. The statistical population was adolescent girls suffering from anorexia nervosa in the academic year 2020-2021 in Karaj, 45 students and their families were purposefully selected based on the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. During 10 sessions, the first experimental group received family-based therapy and the second experimental group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and the control group did not receive any intervention. Participants in all groups were assessed in the pre-test, post-test and quarterly follow-up stages by the Rogers self-concept scale. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance and mixed analysis of variance showed that both FBT treatment and ACT treatment lead to positive self-image in students. There is also no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two methods. The follow-up results also showed that the effectiveness of both methods is lasting.