The Relationship between ACT Processes and Posttraumatic Stress and Growth in Lebanon

Abstract

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a third wave behavioural intervention which comprises of six components including acceptance, defusion, self-as-context (SAC), committed action (CA), values, and mindfulness, all of which also fall under the term of psychological flexibility (PF) (Ren et al., 2019). PF, the core treatment outcome of ACT, refers to one’s ability to stay in the present moment, to experience unwanted internal thoughts and feelings, and to consciously adjust actions in line with one’s goals and values, rather than give up or engage in maladaptive behaviors (Meyer et al., 2019; Yu, Norton, & McCracken, 2017). PF has been studied in relation to posttraumatic outcomes including post-traumatic stress (PTS) and growth (PTG). However, there is a dearth of empirical research investigating the components of psychological flexibility separately in relation to these outcomes of trauma (Scott, McCracken and Norton, 2016). The aims of the study were to investigate the influence of each of the 6 ACT components on posttraumatic growth and stress in Lebanon. This was the first study that examined the six components separately in relation to PTS and PTG. One hundred seventy-seven Lebanese participants participated in the present study from the general community and AUB. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between the 6 ACT components, PTS and PTG, while controlling for income and gender. Results of the hierarchical multiple regression indicated that among the six predictors, only committed action, self as context, and values were found to be significant predictors of post-traumatic growth, and low acceptance and mindfulness were found to be significant predictors of post-traumatic stress. The findings emphasize the importance of targeting these factors when tackling and providing interventions that address traumatized population in Lebanon.