The Effectiveness of ACT Matrix with compassion on cognitive emotion regulation strategy in Students with Test Anxiety Disorders

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Professor Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

Abstract

Test anxiety causes a wide range of negative consequences including psychological distress, academic failure, and feeling of insecurity. In the same way, Perspective-Taking Training is one of the ways to have a positive effect on emotion regulation and test anxiety reduction. The present study conducted due to determine the effectiveness of ACT Matrix with compassion on emotion regulation strategy in the students with test anxiety disorders. This study was an experimental study with a pretest and posttest control group design. In the study 30 female students aged between 15 and 17 years (senior high school) situated in Ahvaz, selected by using a Multistage cluster sampling method, and the students arranged in experimental group and control group (15 persons each group) by randomization. Experimental group students received an intervention course of 16 sessions (one session per week, lasting 1 hour), and control group students without any organized intervention just watched movies and animations. Participants in both groups before intervention and after the course answered cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire. The data analyzed by using MANCOVA. The results of data analysis showed that the ACT matrix with compassion lead to the improvement of positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in experimental group students compared with the control group students. According to our research ACT Matrix with compassion lead to the improvement of positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in students with test anxiety.

Keywords

Main Subjects


Abolghasemi, A., Asadimoghadam, A., Najarian, B., Shokrkon, H. (1998). Development and validation of exam anxiety scale in third grade students of Ahvaz middle school. Journal of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, 3 (4), 1-14. (Text in Persian).
Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Schweizer, S. (2010). Emotion-regulation strategies across psychopathology: A meta-analytic review. Journal Clinical Psychology Review. 30(2), 217-37. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.11.004
Arch, J. J., Eifert, G. H., Davies, C., Vilardaga, J. C. P., Rose, R. D., Craske, M. G.  (2012). Randomized clinical trial of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) versus acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for mixed anxiety disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 80 (5), 750–765. DOI:10.1037/a0028310
Avdagic, E., Morrissey, S., Boschen, M. (2014). A randomised controlled trial of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy for generalised anxiety disorder. Behaviour Change. 31(2)110-130. DOI: 10.1017/bec.2014.5
Block, J.A., Wulfert, E. (2000). Acceptance or change: Treating socially anxious college students with ACT or CBGT. The Behavior Analyst Today. 1 (2), 1-55.
David, B. B., Marci, S.D., Patricia, A. S., R. (2015). Mindfulness, anxiety, and high-stakes mathematics performance in the laboratory and classroom. Journal Consciousness and Cognition, 37, 123-132. DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.09.001
Firoozi, S., Ebrahimi, G. S., & Dortaj, F. (2011). Comparison of executive functions based on test anxiety in the fifth grade elementary. Knowledge & research in applied psychology. 12 (1), 76-85. (Text in Persian).
Garnefski, N., Kraaij, v., Spinhoven, P. (2002). CERQ: Manual for the use of the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire. Datec, Leiderdrop, The Netherlands.
Gharibnawaz, S., Nourighasemabadi, R., Moghaddasin, M. (2018). Relationship between Metacognition believes and Exam Anxiety: Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 4 (5), 1-14. (Text in Persian).
Gross JJ, Thompson RA. (2007). Emotion regulation: Conceptual foundations. In JJ. Gross (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation. New York: Guilford Press. 3-24.
Gumley, A., Braehler, C., Laithwaite, H., MacBeth, A., Gilbert, P. (2010). A compassion focused model of recovery after psychosis. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy. 3, 186–201.
Hasani, J., Taj al-Dini, A., Qaednyay jahromi, A. & Farmani, S. S. (2014). Compare cognitive emotion regulation strategies and emotional schemas in spouses of patients with substance abuse and normal individuals. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 6 (1), 91-101. (Text in Persian).
Hofmann, S. G., Grossman, P. & Hinton D. E. (2011). Loving-kindness and compassion meditation: Potential for psychological interventions. Clinical Psychology Review. 31, 1126–1132.
Kiat Hui Khng, K. H.,  Mane. R. (2020). Beyond BCI—Validating a wireless, consumer-grade EEG headset against a medical-grade system for evaluating EEG effects of a test anxiety intervention in school. Advanced Engineering Informatics, Volume 45, 101106.
Lutz, A., Brefczynski-Lewis, J., Johnstone, T. & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Regulation of the neural circuitry of emotion by compassion meditation: Effects of meditative expertise. PloS One. 3, e1897. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0001897
Mohammadi, L., Salehzade, A. M., Nasirian, M. (2015). Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Men under Methadone Treatment. JSSU. 23 (9), 853-861. (Text in Persian).
Pashaei, Z., Taghipour, E., Khoshkanesh, A. (2009). The effects of skills training of emotions confronting on test anxiety and academic performance of female students. Journal of Applied Psychology. 3 (12), 7-20. (Text in Persian).
Peymannia, B., Hamid, N., Mahmoudalilou, M. (2017). The Effectiveness of ACT Matrix with compassion on self-injury behaviors and quality of life of Students with symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorders. Journal of Psychological Achievements. Volume 25, Number 1, Pages 23-44. DOI:  10.22055/PSY.2018.23581.1905. (Text in Persian).
Polk, K., Schoendorff, B., Webster, M. & Olaz, F. (2016). The Essential Guide to the ACT Matrix. New Harbinger Publications, Inc. Oakland, CA.
Poormana, S, G., Mastorovich, M. L., Gerwick, M. (2019). Interventions for Test Anxiety: How Faculty Can Help. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, Volume 14, Issue 3, Pages 186-191.
Pour Faraj Omran, M. (2011). The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy on Students' with Social Phobia. Journal of Knowledge and Health. 6; (2) 5-1. (Text in Persian).
Reyes, M., Vargas, N., Miranda, E. (2015). Comparison of 4 brief contextual behavioral interventions for borderline personality disorder: The process of building an empirically supported treatment as usual. In K. Strosahl (Chair), Brief ACT interventions: Understanding their benefit and processes of change. Symposium conducted at the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science World Conference, Berlin, Germany.13.
Roemer, L., Lee, J. K., Salters-Pedneault, K.,  Erisman, S. M.,  Orsillo, S.M., Mennin, D. S. (2009). Mindfulness and emotion regulation difficulties in generalized anxiety disorder: Preliminary evidence for independent and overlapping contribution. Journal Behavior Therapy. 40,142-154.  DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2008.04.001
Spherion, F., Rezaei, Z. (2010). Prevalence of test anxiety and the effect of coping therapy on reducing and increasing rate in the academic performance of female high school students. Research in curriculum planning. 25, 85-69. (Text in Persian).
Troy A. (2012). Resilience in the face of stress: emotion regulation as a protective factor. Londen: Combridge University Press. 30-44.
Tirch, D., Schoendorff, B., Silberstein, R. L. (2014). The ACT Practitioner's Guide to the Science of Compassion: Tools for Fostering Psychological Flexibility. New Harbinger Publications.
Tirch, D. & Gilbert, P. (2014). Compassion focused therapy: An introduction to experiential interventions for cultivating compassion. In D. McKay & N. Thoma (Eds.), Working with emotions in cognitive behavioral therapy (Chapter 3). New York: Guilford.
Vagg, P., Speilberger, C. (1995). Test anxiety: Theory assessment and treatment. Washington DC: Taylor & Francis Publishers.
Williams M, Penman D. (2010). Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. Piatkus.co.uk.
Yazdani F. (2012). Test anxiety and academic performance in female nursing students. Quarterly Journal of Nursing Management. 1 (1), 47-58. (Text in Persian).