Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for University Students: A Qualitative Study

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Renata Klein Zancan
Laura Bohn Constantinopolos
Bárbara Etchegaray Pankowski
Bárbara Diefenbach Bellini
Margareth da Silva Oliveira

Abstract

This study aimed to explore undergraduate students’ perception of their participation in an intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), to reduce psychological inflexibility (PI) and stress in undergraduate students. Twenty-one students from different undergraduate programs participated in the research, with an average age of 23.4 ± 5.61, of whom 71.4% were female and 28.6% were male. The data collected in the interviews were submitted to content analysis and organized into four categories: experience in the program, utility, feasibility, and ACT suggestions and processes. The results made it possible to identify that the program was a positive experience for the participants, the intervention was useful and feasible and enabled students to develop the requirements to better deal with the adversities of daily life without departing from their personal values.

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