Comparison of the Effectiveness of Group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Group-based Cognitive-behavioral Therapy on Psychological Hardiness of Headed Family Women

Hardiness is a fundamental element of control that plays a constructive role in coping with stress and moderates or reduces the effects of stress. The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy and group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on psychological hardiness of headed family women. The research design was a quasi-experimental, pretest-post-test with control group, and the statistical population included all females headed family of Tehran, region 16. From women with low scores in Ahwaz psychological hardiness questionnaire, 45 women were randomly assigned to three groups: two experimental and one control group. ACT and CBT training was implemented in the first and second experimental groups and the control group did not receive any intervention. The experimental groups received 9 training sessions. The study hypotheses have been analyzed by one-way covariance analysis. The results indicates both interventions were effective in increasing the psychological hardiness of family headed women, but no significant difference was found between the two interventions (P = 0.38). Based on the results, it is possible to increase the psychological hardiness of the headed family women by group-based acceptance and commitment therapy and group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy.