Determining the Effectiveness of Reality Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Psychological Flexibility and Social Adjustment in Older Adults Attending Day Rehabilitation Centers in Tehran
Keywords:
psychological flexibility, acceptance and commitment therapy, social adjustment, older adults, reality therapyAbstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of Reality Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on psychological flexibility and social adjustment in older adults attending day rehabilitation centers in Tehran. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest-follow-up design and a control group. The statistical population of this study included all older adults attending day rehabilitation centers in Tehran in the first half of 2024, among whom 90 individuals were selected using purposive sampling according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly and by lottery assigned into three groups of 30: two experimental groups (Reality Therapy and ACT) and one control group. Participants responded to the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010) and the short version of Bell’s Adjustment Inventory (Bell, 1939) in pretest, posttest, and follow-up phases. The Reality Therapy protocol was based on Glasser’s (2003) principles of Reality Therapy and was conducted in eight 90-minute sessions over two months. The ACT protocol was based on the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Hayes et al. (2012) and was also conducted in eight 90-minute sessions over two months. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The results showed that in both posttest and follow-up phases, there was a significant difference between the Reality Therapy and ACT groups compared to the control group (P < .05), indicating the impact of both treatments on improving psychological flexibility and social adjustment. Furthermore, in both posttest and follow-up phases, there was a significant difference between the two experimental groups (P < .05), with mean comparisons showing that ACT was more effective in increasing psychological flexibility. In both posttest and follow-up phases, there was also a significant difference between the two groups (P < .05), with mean comparisons showing that Reality Therapy was more effective in improving social adjustment.
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