Today’s people live in a society with many dangers to their peace and security. The effectiveness of different therapies in psychological variables needs to be evaluated to reach the most precise therapies based on research evidence. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of existential therapy (ET) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in alleviating the loneliness and irrational beliefs of male prisoners. In the present quasi-experimental study, the statistical population consisted of all married male prisoners aged between 25 to 45 years in Mashhad Central Prison in the first half of 2017. Among the statistical population, 36 people were selected and then randomly placed in three research groups. The two experimental groups underwent eight separate intervention sessions, ET, and ACT. At the beginning and end of the study, all of the three groups were evaluated by a research questionnaire, including the loneliness scale. The results of data analysis showed that, in comparison with the control group, the changes in the other two groups under ET and ACT were significant as to the feeling of loneliness and irrational beliefs of prisoners. However, there was no significant difference between the effects of these two treatments. The present research was limited in the case of examining the follow-up stage due to lack of access and cooperation of the subjects, incorporating some control variables (such as the history of substance use and psychiatry), and employing other evaluation methods (e.g., interview). It is highly suggested that future research should address these limitations.
Examining prisoners' mental health status and providing mental health services to this high-risk group is one of the concerns of psychiatry and health experts in different countries. Also, there are still issues and problems related to criminals and prisoners, especially psychiatric problems as one of the most challenging research areas. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Existential Therapy (ET) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in increasing hope and diminishing irrational beliefs of male prisoners.
Materials and Methods:In the present quasi-experimental study, the statistical population consisted of all married male prisoners aged between 25 to 45 years in Mashhad Central Prison in the first half of 2018. Among them, 36 prisoners were selected and then randomly placed in three research groups. Then, the two experimental groups underwent eight separate sessions of ET and ACT. At the beginning and end of the study, all three groups were assessed for hope and irrational beliefs.Results: Analysis results showed that, in comparison with the control group, changes in the two groups of ET and ACT were significant regarding hope and irrational beliefs of male prisoners. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of ET in increasing hope was higher than that of ACT.
Conclusions:The effectiveness of ET and ACT seems to be almost the same for irrational beliefs (but not for hope) of male prisoners. However, we suggest further investigations to provide a better vision of the effectiveness of these therapeutic approaches for prisoners with special needs.
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