Experiential Avoidance

Aim : The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of schema therapy in experiential avoidance and anxiety sensitivity of students with academic procrastination at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Methods : It was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included students with academic procrastination studying at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2021-2022. The first sample of the research consisted of 500 students who were selected by the multi-stage cluster sampling method. These people answered the academic procrastination questionnaire of Solomon and Roth Bloom (1984), and 152 of them who got  at least one score higher than the standard deviation score were separated from Among them, 42 people who met the criteria for entering the research were selected and placed in two groups of 21 people (experimental and control group). The experimental group received schema therapy; however, the control group did not receive any intervention. Other tools of this research include. Reiss et al. (1986) Anxiety Sensitivity questionnaire, and Gamez et al.’s (1988) Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance questionnaire. the research hypotheses were tested through multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) through SPSS software (version 25). Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and the control groups in the post-test phase in terms of experiential avoidance (p <0.0001, F = 42.81) and anxiety sensitivity (p <0.037, F = 4.67). This difference was also observed in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: Therefore, according to the findings of this study, schema therapy can be used to reduce experiential avoidance and the anxiety sensitivity of students with academic procrastination. 

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress, mindfulness, and binge eating in obese people with mediating role of experiential avoidance. Method: The current research was of quantitative type with correlational method. The statistical population included all overweight and obese people in the city of Karaj in 2019, and 414 people were selected as research samples through convenience sampling method. Data were collected by calculating participants' body mass index, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (Bond et al,2011), Harry's stress questionnaire (2005), five-factor mindfulness questionnaire (Baer et al,2004), and binge eating scale (Gormally et al,1982). Collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in Amos software. Results: Stress and mindfulness are known variables in clinical interventions for people with binge eating problems but choosing the strategic and practical variable of experimental avoidance as a mediator between these categories and overeating confirmed these variables' theoretical and practical value. This research highlighted the role of experiential avoidance as a powerful and effective variable in the outcome of individual and social measures in the management and planning to correct overeating behavior in obese people.

Aim: People with Misophonia disorder are prone to suffering from other psychological problems, such as anxiety and mood disorders, due to avoidance of various situations. Therefore, the goal of this study is to assess an Experiential Avoidance model with Misophonia disorder through the mediating role of Cognitive Fusion and Emotion Dysregulation in university students.   Methods: The method of the present research is a descriptive-correlation study. The population included whole students of the Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in the academic year 2022-2023. 251 university students were selected using a random cluster sampling method. Data were collected with a demographic questionnaire, "Misophonia Questionnaire", "Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire", "Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire" and "Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale".   Results: Experiential Avoidance is indirectly correlated with the symptoms of Misophonia disorder through Emotion Dysregulation.   Conclusion: Emotion Dysregulation plays a mediating role in the relationship between Experiential Avoidance and symptoms of Misophonia disorder, unlike Cognitive Fusion. It is suggested that approaches based on emotion regulation, such as transdiagnostic, be used in the development of preventive interventions and treatment for people with symptoms of Misophonia disorder

Objective: In the theory of acceptance and commitment and recent theories, experiential avoidance is considered as an important factor in the etiology and continuation of mental pathology. This study was carried out to determine the efficacy and continuation of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on reducing experiential avoidance of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Research Methodology: In this clinical trial, 16 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder referred to Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, with psychiatric diagnosis, were selected by purposive sampling method. They were treated for 8 sessions (each session 90 minutes) based on acceptance and commitment. Treatment was followed for two months after treatment. To collect the data, the check-list of symptoms of mental disorder (SCL-90), Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-5), post-traumatic stress disorder list (PCL-5) and a questionnaire of acceptance and commitment (AAQ-II) were used. Findings: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy significantly reduced the experiential avoidance and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and the reduction lasted up to two months after treatment. Conclusion: The treatment process and the results obtained in this study suggest that the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder of veterans, had the necessary efficiency and effectiveness.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of mindfulness training on experiential avoidance, self-compassion, and certain physiological indices in women diagnosed with breast cancer. Method: This applied research was conducted as a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and control group design. The population included all women with stage 1 and 2 breast cancer who were under medical care after completing chemotherapy or radiotherapy at Shahid Tajrish Hospital in 2020-2021. A convenience sampling method was used to select 40 female breast cancer patients, who were equally divided into an experimental group (20 participants) and a control group (20 participants). Data were collected using the Neff's Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), the Bond et al.'s Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (2011), and physiological indices. Mindfulness training, based on the protocol by Lengacher et al. (2019), consisted of 8 sessions of 90 minutes each for the experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis. Findings: The results indicated that mindfulness training significantly increased self-compassion (F = 6.35, p < .05) and decreased experiential avoidance (F = 4.75, p < .05) in women with breast cancer. Additionally, the training significantly reduced cortisol levels (F = 7.38, p < .05), but did not have a significant effect on the concentrations of IL-6 (F = 0.83, p > .05) and CRP (F = 0.04, p > .05). Conclusion: Considering the current findings, it can be said that mindfulness training is effective in improving the psychological condition and reducing stress in women with breast cancer.

Objective: Marital infidelity is one of the most significant threats to the stability of marital relationships and a leading cause of divorce across various cultures. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on self-compassion and experiential avoidance in women who have experienced marital infidelity. Methods: The current research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, involving experimental and control groups and a three-month follow-up. All women who had experienced marital infidelity and attended psychotherapy and counseling clinics in Tehran during the year 2021-2022 constituted the statistical population of this study, from which 30 were selected via convenience sampling based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two equal groups of 15. Data were collected using the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - Second Version (Bond et al., 2007). Participants in the experimental group received 8 sessions of intervention. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance with SPSS version 26. Findings: The mean self-compassion score and its dimensions in the experimental group significantly improved post-intervention compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Cognitive-behavioral therapy was beneficial in reducing experiential avoidance in the experimental group, unlike the control group (p < 0.05). The effects of this therapeutic program on dependent variables continued during the three-month follow-up period (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral exercises can be used as an effective intervention method to improve the cognitive-emotional status of women who have experienced marital infidelity.