Kabusi M, Razavi Nasab S A, Saber E, Ivanbagha R, Khedri B, Khezerlou Z, et al . Assessing the Effects of Acceptance-commitment and Psychodrama Therapies in Nurses With Social Anxiety Disorder. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal 2023; 21 (2) :223-230
URL:
http://irj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1555-en.html
Malihe Kabusi1

,
Seyed Ali Razavi Nasab2

,
Elham Saber3

,
Reyhaneh Ivanbagha4

,
Behzad Khedri5

,
Zahra Khezerlou6

,
Tayebeh Ilaghinezhad Bardsiri2

,
Zahra Shafiei7

,
Maryam Ebrahimpour Roodposhti8

,
Anahita Zandi9

,
Hamid Hoseyni10

,
Abbas Ghodrati Torbati9

,
Maliheh Eshaghzadeh9

,
Samaneh Eshaghzadeh *11
1- Department of Geriatric Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
2- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Sirjan Medical Sciences, Sirjan, Iran.
3- Department of Occupational Health Engineering, School of Health, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
4- Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, Iran.
5- Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Studies, Hanze University of Applied Science, Groningen, Netherlands.
6- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
7- Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
8- Department of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, School of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
9- Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
10- Health Sciences Research Center, Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences,Tabriz, Iran.
11- Health Sciences Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran.
Abstract: (2534 Views)
Objectives: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one the most prevalent psychiatric disorders and generates severe negative effects on patients' mental, individual, and social health. Decreased responsibility, absenteeism, and poor life quality can be the consequences of this disorder. Considering the effective empirical background of both therapeutic approaches in reducing social anxiety symptoms and the lack of research on combining both interventions to reduce anxiety, this study was performed to determine the effects of acceptance-commitment therapy (ACT) and psychodrama therapy on nurses' social anxiety.
Methods: This randomized trial research was conducted at Torbat Heydarieh University of Medical Sciences in 2017 with a pre-test-post-test design. A total of 48 nurses with SAD who were referred to the university counseling center were chosen at random and entered into 4 equal groups (12 subjects) (an intervention group and 3 control groups). The intervention group received a combination of psychodrama and ACT therapies in twelve 90-minute treatment sessions (2 meetings every week). The control groups were provided with psychodrama therapy, ACT, and no treatment. The study data were collected by Connor's social anxiety questionnaire (2000). The collected data were analyzed by analyses of variance and covariance.
Results: A decrease was observed in the social anxiety scores in the four groups of the study after psychological therapies. The Mean±SD of the social anxiety score in the treatment group based on psychodrama was 64.75±13.37 before the study period and 49.08±6.71 after that. While in the ACT group, it was 59.65±12.21 and 42.66±8.05 before and after the study, respectively, and in the group provided with a combination of both therapies, it was 62.75±13.49 before the study period and 35.75±7.19 after that. A lack of significant difference (P=0.86) could be detected in the mean anxiety score in the group of control. However, the social anxiety score of the group with a combination of both therapies significantly decreased (P<0.001) compared to other studied control groups.
Discussion: The data analysis showed that a combination of ACT and psychodrama therapies significantly reduced the social anxiety of nurses.
Coresponding author: Samaneh Eshaghzadeh, E-mail: s.eshaghzadeh@gmail.com
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Considering the social anxiety disorder (SAD) prevalence in society, especially among nurses, and the complications caused by it for the progress of people and society, taking this disorder into account and finding a more successful approach to its treatment is necessary.
• Even though the effects of separately using psychodrama therapy and ACT have been proven on the symptoms of SAD, combining both therapies increases their impacts.
• Psychotherapists are suggested to apply this approach to treat the disorder of social anxiety of clients, their quality of life, and social interactions.
Plain Language Summary
Panic, stress, and avoidance of social relationships are social panic or anxiety, which should be investigated attentively. When it prevents daily tasks, this disorder becomes a social disorder. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a good treatment method for stress. This approach has been found as a part of the third generation of psychotherapeutic interventions, and it tries to treat the mental relationships of people with their ideas and sentiments rather than transforming them. So, this research was performed to assess the impact of ACT and psychodrama therapy on nurses’ social anxiety. Our randomized trial research was performed at Torbat Heydarieh University of Medical Sciences in 2017 with a pre-test-post-test design. The number of participants was 48. They were randomly selected from nurses with a social anxiety disorder (SAD) referred to the university counseling center and entered into 4 groups with 12 members in each group (an intervention group and 3 control groups). The intervention group received a combination of psychotherapeutic therapies and participated in twelve 90-minute treatment sessions (2 meetings every week). The control groups were provided therapy based on psychodrama, ACT, and no treatment. Data collection was done by Connor’s social anxiety questionnaire (2000). Data analysis was done by analyses of variance and covariance. Considering the social anxiety prevalence in society, especially among nurses, and the complications caused by it for the progress of people and society, taking this disorder into account and finding a more successful approach to treat it seems necessary. Although separately using psychodrama therapy and ACT has been publicized to have an important impact on SAD symptoms, the use of the two approaches together intensifies their powerful impacts even more. So, individuals participating in psychological health, like psychotherapists, are recommended to apply this protocol to treat the disorder of social anxiety of clients, their life quality, and social interactions.
Article type:
Original Research Articles |
Subject:
Psychology Received: 2021/12/29 | Accepted: 2022/12/7 | Published: 2023/03/19
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