Publication: The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on dysfunctional attitudes and difficulties in emotion regulation among University students in Malaysia
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Date
2025
Authors
Jun, Tan Wei
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Abstract
Depression, anxiety, and stress are common psychological difficulties reported among
university students in Malaysia, with dysfunctional attitudes and difficulties in emotion
regulation often underlying these conditions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
(ACT), a third-wave cognitive behavioural intervention, has demonstrated effectiveness
across various psychological disorders by enhancing psychological flexibility. However,
research examining its impact on dysfunctional attitudes and emotion regulation among
Malaysian university students remains limited. This study adopts a single-blinded,
randomised controlled trial design involving 28 university students experiencing mild
to moderate depression, anxiety, and/or stress. Participants were randomly assigned to
either an ACT intervention group (n = 14) or a waitlist control group (n = 14). The ACT
group attended six weekly online intervention sessions based on an adapted ACT
protocol, whereas, the control group received no intervention during the study period.
The Malay version of the Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS-Malay) and the
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-18-M) were administered at three time
points: pre-test, intermediate, post-test. Mixed ANOVA results indicated a statistically
significant interaction effect between group and time for both dysfunctional attitudes (F
(2, 52) = 14.32, p <.001, partial η² = .355), and difficulties in emotion regulation (F (2,
52) = 9.22, p <.001, partial η² = .262). Post hoc tests showed that while no significant
changes were observed from pre-test to intermediate test, statistically significant
reductions were found to pre-test to post-test and from intermediate test to post-test in
the ACT group. These findings provide empirical support for the effectiveness of ACT
in addressing cognitive and emotional inflexibility in university students. The nonconfrontational
nature of the intervention and online delivery format were well-received,suggesting both cultural appropriateness and practical feasibility within the Malaysian
context.
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Keywords
acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)