Self-as-Context as an autonomous mechanism of anxiety reduction

The subject of this study is the Self-as-Context (SAC) component of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a potential independent psychological mechanism for reducing anxiety. The object of the study is anxiety in women aged 20 to 60 years. The author examines the theoretical rationale for the role of the SAC component within the ACT psychological flexibility model, the operationalization of the observing-self position in a brief online intervention format, and the comprehensive assessment of anxiety using five standardized psychodiagnostic instruments — GAD-7, BAI, STAI-State, STAI-Trait, and AAQ-II. Particular attention is given to empirically testing the potential independent contribution of this component to anxiety reduction when applied in isolation. The study was conducted within a randomized controlled trial design (N = 676). Statistical analysis was performed in JASP using non-parametric Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney tests with rank-biserial correlations and confidence intervals as effect size measures. The main findings of the study are as follows. A brief online intervention targeting the observing-self position was statistically associated with reduced anxiety scores across all five diagnostic instruments in the experimental group. Improvement was observed in 96.7–99.3% of participants. Between-group comparisons at post-test revealed statistically significant differences across all measures with moderate-to-large effect sizes (r_rb = 0.576–0.732). The observed changes were maintained at four-week follow-up. The author's particular contribution is the development and piloting of a 7-day online protocol targeting exclusively the observing-self position without incorporating other ACT components. The novelty of the study lies in being the first empirical test of the isolated SAC component as an anxiety-reduction mechanism on a large sample in Russian psychology. The need for further research including manipulation checks and stricter inclusion criteria is acknowledged.