Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on enhancing self-worth and resilience in obese women in Amol, Iran. Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages was used. Fifty obese women with a BMI between 30 and 39.9 were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 25) and a waitlist control group (n = 25). Inclusion criteria included age between 25 and 60, residence in Amol, willingness to participate, and no interfering psychological or situational conditions. The experimental group received 12 weekly sessions of group-based ACT, while the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using the Self-Worth Questionnaire (SWQ) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) at three time points. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA with SPSS-24. Findings: Results showed that ACT had a statistically significant effect on both self-worth (F(1, 46) = 14.31, p < .0001, η² = .222) and resilience (F(1, 46) = 8.85, p < .0001, η² = .146) at the post-test stage compared to the control group. However, at the follow-up stage, differences between the groups were no longer statistically significant for either self-worth (F(1, 46) = 2.97, p = .092) or resilience (F(1, 46) = 0.115, p = .736), indicating that the initial gains were not maintained over time without continued intervention. Conclusion: Group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy significantly improved self-worth and resilience in obese women in the short term, though the effects diminished at follow-up. These findings highlight the potential of ACT as an effective psychological intervention for obese women, while underscoring the importance of ongoing support to sustain therapeutic gains.
Khatibi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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