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IRCT20260817070700N1 IRCT 2026-10-10 Islamic Azad University Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Training on Social Skills and Anxiety Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Training on Improving Social Skills and Reducing Anxiety in Language Learners Aged 14 to 18 Years 2026-10-02 anticipated 30 Complete https://irct.ir/trial/93282 interventional Randomization: Randomized, Blinding: Not blinded, Placebo: Not used, Assignment: Parallel, Purpose: Education/Guidance, Other design features: Participants will be selected from among volunteers using convenience sampling, as random sampling from the entire target population is not feasible; however, the allocation of the selected participants to the intervention and control groups will be carried out randomly, Randomization description: Randomization method: Simple randomization using a random number table. Randomization unit: Individual (each participant will be randomized separately). Stratified randomization will not be used. Randomization tool: Random Number Table. Sequence generation: After final confirmation of 30 eligible participants, each participant will be assigned a numeric code from 1 to 30. With eyes closed, a starting point will be randomly selected in the random number table, and numbers will be read sequentially from left to right. Two-digit numbers between 01 and 30 will be extracted in the order they appear, excluding repeated numbers or numbers outside this range, until a complete sequence of 30 numbers is obtained. The first fifteen numbers of this sequence will be assigned to the intervention group, and the next fifteen numbers will be assigned to the control group. Allocation concealment: The allocation result for each participant will be placed in sealed, opaque, numbered envelopes by a person outside the study execution team, and will not be opened until the participant enters the study, by the principal investigator. N/A Condition 1: Social Anxiety. Condition 2: Social Skills Deficit. Intervention 1: Intervention group: Participants in this group will receive an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based educational intervention over 8 weekly 90-minute group sessions, based on the standard protocol of Hayes, Strosahl, and Wilson (1999). The content of each session is as follows:Session 1: Introduction of members, explanation of group rules and framework, initial assessment of participants' social and anxiety-related difficulties, and general introduction to the acceptance and commitment approach.Session 2: Training on the concept of experiential avoidance, examination of the ineffectiveness of common emotional control strategies, and introduction of the concept of Creative Hopelessness through experiential exercises.Session 3: Training in emotional acceptance as an alternative to emotional control, with experiential exercises for accepting unpleasant feelings related to social situations.Session 4: Cognitive defusion training, introducing techniques such as "thought labeling" and "word repetition" to reduce belief in negative automatic thoughts related to social interactions.Session 5: Training in contact with the present moment through mindfulness and conscious breathing exercises, focusing on application in anxiety-provoking social situations.Session 6: Self-as-Context training through the "chessboard metaphor" exercise and distinguishing between the conceptualized self and the observing self.Session 7: Clarification of personal values in the domains of social relationships and academics, and distinguishing between values and goals.Session 8: Committed action training, development of a practical behavioral plan for improving social skills, overall summary, and administration of the posttest.Sessions will be conducted by the trained researcher under the direct supervision of the academic supervisor. Protocol adherence will be monitored through a session content checklist. Intervention 2: Control group: Participants in this group will not receive any educational or psychological intervention during the study period and will only complete the pretest and posttest questionnaires. No - There is not a plan to make this available Justification or reason for not sharing IPD is Given the ethical commitment made to participants regarding the full confidentiality of their information, and considering the small sample size (n=30), which increases the risk of indirect re-identification even after removal of identifying details, it has been decided not to publish the raw individual participant data.
public Mohsen Jamali
No. 1, Shahid Bakeri Alley, Mellat St., Choghadak, Bushehr
Choghadak Iran (Islamic Republic of) 7538178714 +98 991 935 5365 mohsenjamali2070@gmail.com Islamic Azad University scientific Mohsen Jamali
No. 1, Shahid Bakeri Alley, Mellat Street, Choghadak, Bushehr
Choghadak Iran (Islamic Republic of) 7538178714 +98 77 3342 5234 mohsenjamali2070@gmail.com Islamic Azad University Iran (Islamic Republic of) Age between 14 and 18 years Currently enrolled in English language institutes in Choghadak city Score below the cutoff point on the Matson Social Skills Questionnaire Score above the mean on the Connor Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) Not concurrently participating in other counseling or psychological programs 14 years 18 years Both Known diagnosis of severe psychiatric disorders requiring immediate or pharmacological intervention. History of participation in Acceptance and Commitment Training courses. Diagnosed intellectual or cognitive impairment that prevents understanding of the questionnaire items. F40.1 Z73.4 Social phobias Inadequate social skills, not elsewhere classified Behavior N/A Intervention group: Participants in this group will receive an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-based educational intervention over 8 weekly 90-minute group sessions, based on the standard protocol of Hayes, Strosahl, and Wilson (1999). The content of each session is as follows:Session 1: Introduction of members, explanation of group rules and framework, initial assessment of participants' social and anxiety-related difficulties, and general introduction to the acceptance and commitment approach.Session 2: Training on the concept of experiential avoidance, examination of the ineffectiveness of common emotional control strategies, and introduction of the concept of Creative Hopelessness through experiential exercises.Session 3: Training in emotional acceptance as an alternative to emotional control, with experiential exercises for accepting unpleasant feelings related to social situations.Session 4: Cognitive defusion training, introducing techniques such as "thought labeling" and "word repetition" to reduce belief in negative automatic thoughts related to social interactions.Session 5: Training in contact with the present moment through mindfulness and conscious breathing exercises, focusing on application in anxiety-provoking social situations.Session 6: Self-as-Context training through the "chessboard metaphor" exercise and distinguishing between the conceptualized self and the observing self.Session 7: Clarification of personal values in the domains of social relationships and academics, and distinguishing between values and goals.Session 8: Committed action training, development of a practical behavioral plan for improving social skills, overall summary, and administration of the posttest.Sessions will be conducted by the trained researcher under the direct supervision of the academic supervisor. Protocol adherence will be monitored through a session content checklist. Control group: Participants in this group will not receive any educational or psychological intervention during the study period and will only complete the pretest and posttest questionnaires. Mean score of social skills in language learners. Timepoint: Measurement of social skills before the start of the intervention (pretest) and immediately after the completion of the eighth intervention session (posttest). Method of measurement: Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY) by Matson, Rotatori, and Helsel. Mean score of social anxiety in language learners. Timepoint: Measurement of social anxiety before the start of the intervention (pretest) and immediately after the completion of the eighth intervention session (posttest). Method of measurement: Social Phobia Inventory by Connor, Davidson, Churchill, Sherwood, Foa, and Weisler. Islamic Azad University Approved 2026-07-29 Ethics Committee of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences Regional Secretariat of Research Ethics Committee, Research Vice-Chancellery, First Floor, Medical Sciences Campus, Salman Farsi St., Bahmani, Bushehr Bushehr Boushehr Iran (Islamic Republic of)