Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotion Regulation in Adolescent Patients with Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on emotion regulation in adolescent patients with nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI).

Methods: A total of 72 adolescent patients with NSSI were selected as research subjects from June 2022 to May 2023 for retrospective analysis. They were divided into control group (CG) and experimental group (EG) in accordance with different management methods. CG received routine psychological support treatment, whereas EG was given ACT management on the basis of routine psychological support. The clinical management effects of the 2 groups were compared.

Results: At the end of week 6 (T1) and the end of week 12 (T2), the EG had significantly higher scores of positive emotion regulation and cognitive fusion questionnaire-fusion (CFQ-F) (P < .05). However, they had significantly lower scores on the negative emotion regulation, behavior questionnaire, function questionnaire, and adolescent self-rating life events checklist (ASLEC) than the CG (P < .05).

Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment therapy can effectively regulate the emotional state of adolescent patients with NSSI, improve psychological flexibility, reduce the effectiveness of self-injury behavior, and help such adolescents acquire the correct values in life.

Cite this article as: Yuan J, Zheng M, Liu D, Wang L. Effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on emotion regulation in adolescent patients with nonsuicidal self-injury. Alpha Psychiatry. 2024;25(1):47-53.