Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with and without Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Craving and Problematic Use of Pornography: A Single Subject Design

Objectives: Problematic use of pornography is one of the emerging clinical concerns that causes the destruction of individual functions. Therefore, it is necessary to use emerging behavioral and technological treatments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and combined therapy on reducing the craving and problematic use of pornography. Method: The present study is a quasi-experimental type of A-B-A single-subject designs. The first phase of this plan (A) is the baseline and the second phase (B) is the intervention phase, and after the completion of the intervention phase, the follow-up phase (A) is carried out. The statistical population included all men between 18 and 24 years of age who referred to the psychology and counseling clinic of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in 1401. The sample consisted of 9 men who were selected voluntarily and purposefully from among the people who met the entry criteria. They were placed in three experimental groups using the randomization software and creating a random sequence (SAS) and using the method of SNOSE random allocation concealment. The data were analyzed with visuals inspection, improvement percentage and reliable change index (RCI) strategies. Findings: According to the results of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), it led to a decrease in cravings and problematic use of pornography to the amount of 26.2 with an effect size of 0.63 and to an amount of 27.05 with an effect size of 0.62. Also, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) intervention led to a decrease in craving and problematic use of pornography by 22.7% with an effect size of 0.56 and by an amount of 21.2 with an effect size of 0.53. Finally, the combined treatment of ACT and tDCS led to a decrease in craving and problematic use of pornography to the amount of 33.4% with an effect size of 0.72 and to an amount of 29.3 with an effect size of 0.67 which all of the interventions were significant at the 0.05% level. Conclusion: In general, based on the findings, it can be said that the combined treatment, compared to ACT and tDCS, led to a more significant reduction in cravings and problematic use of pornography. Also, ACT resulted in significantly greater reductions in craving and problematic pornography use than tDCS.