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Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia

Studies shown that young adults are more prone to develop mental health problems. One of the feature in emerging adulthood – instability, makes them more vulnerable to depression compared to other age groups. Many studies have demonstrated similar effectiveness between cognitive behavior therapy (CB...

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Main Authors: Ahmad Othman, Akmarina, Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki, Nor Zainudin, Zaida, Mohamad Yusop, Yusni
Format: Article
Published: Springer 2023
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107456/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-05064-4?error=cookies_not_supported&code=ce4b694c-fb02-4d99-a2f1-f9fed62030e7
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spelling my.upm.eprints.1074562024-10-21T01:27:22Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107456/ Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia Ahmad Othman, Akmarina Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki Nor Zainudin, Zaida Mohamad Yusop, Yusni Studies shown that young adults are more prone to develop mental health problems. One of the feature in emerging adulthood – instability, makes them more vulnerable to depression compared to other age groups. Many studies have demonstrated similar effectiveness between cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on depression. However, previous studies have been focusing more on education settings rather than emerging adults in general, and more on western countries compared to eastern cultures where they prioritize collectivism. Presently, generation Z is the one that still going through the emerging adulthood phase. They have different exposures and preferences towards technology and social media compared to the older generations. Thus, it is beneficial to keep researching on what is the therapy that works best for them. Hence, this study examines the effectiveness of CBT and ACT on depression and anxiety symptoms among emerging adults in Malaysia. This is an experimental study with pre-post-test design that involved 102 emerging adults. They were assigned into two treatment groups (CBT and ACT) and one control group through random assignment. The questionnaires involved are Beck Depression Inventory II and Beck Anxiety Inventory. There is a statistically significant difference in depression at post-test between ACT and control, but not between CBT and control, and between CBT and ACT. At follow-up, depression scores differ significantly between CBT and control, as well as between ACT and control. No significant difference among the groups in anxiety symptoms at post-test and follow-up. ACT seems to be more superior compared to CBT and control group in terms of depression post-test and follow-up. For anxiety, CBT and ACT exhibit similar reductions at post-test, with ACT showing more improvement at follow-up. Since eastern cultures seems to be more responsive of acceptance-based therapy compared to the western counterparts, therefore ACT is one of the best option to manage Malaysian emerging adults with depression symptoms. Future study could emphasize more on emerging adults who have limited access to higher education such as those in rural areas. Springer 2023-08-23 Article PeerReviewed Ahmad Othman, Akmarina and Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki and Nor Zainudin, Zaida and Mohamad Yusop, Yusni (2023) Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia. Current Psychology, 43 (11). pp. 9755-9772. ISSN 1046-1310; ESSN: 1936-4733 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-05064-4?error=cookies_not_supported&code=ce4b694c-fb02-4d99-a2f1-f9fed62030e7 10.1007/s12144-023-05064-4
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Putra Malaysia
content_source UPM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://psasir.upm.edu.my/
description Studies shown that young adults are more prone to develop mental health problems. One of the feature in emerging adulthood – instability, makes them more vulnerable to depression compared to other age groups. Many studies have demonstrated similar effectiveness between cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on depression. However, previous studies have been focusing more on education settings rather than emerging adults in general, and more on western countries compared to eastern cultures where they prioritize collectivism. Presently, generation Z is the one that still going through the emerging adulthood phase. They have different exposures and preferences towards technology and social media compared to the older generations. Thus, it is beneficial to keep researching on what is the therapy that works best for them. Hence, this study examines the effectiveness of CBT and ACT on depression and anxiety symptoms among emerging adults in Malaysia. This is an experimental study with pre-post-test design that involved 102 emerging adults. They were assigned into two treatment groups (CBT and ACT) and one control group through random assignment. The questionnaires involved are Beck Depression Inventory II and Beck Anxiety Inventory. There is a statistically significant difference in depression at post-test between ACT and control, but not between CBT and control, and between CBT and ACT. At follow-up, depression scores differ significantly between CBT and control, as well as between ACT and control. No significant difference among the groups in anxiety symptoms at post-test and follow-up. ACT seems to be more superior compared to CBT and control group in terms of depression post-test and follow-up. For anxiety, CBT and ACT exhibit similar reductions at post-test, with ACT showing more improvement at follow-up. Since eastern cultures seems to be more responsive of acceptance-based therapy compared to the western counterparts, therefore ACT is one of the best option to manage Malaysian emerging adults with depression symptoms. Future study could emphasize more on emerging adults who have limited access to higher education such as those in rural areas.
format Article
author Ahmad Othman, Akmarina
Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki
Nor Zainudin, Zaida
Mohamad Yusop, Yusni
spellingShingle Ahmad Othman, Akmarina
Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki
Nor Zainudin, Zaida
Mohamad Yusop, Yusni
Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia
author_facet Ahmad Othman, Akmarina
Wan Jaafar, Wan Marzuki
Nor Zainudin, Zaida
Mohamad Yusop, Yusni
author_sort Ahmad Othman, Akmarina
title Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia
title_short Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia
title_full Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia
title_fullStr Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in Malaysia
title_sort effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on depression and anxiety among emerging adults in malaysia
publisher Springer
publishDate 2023
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/107456/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-023-05064-4?error=cookies_not_supported&code=ce4b694c-fb02-4d99-a2f1-f9fed62030e7
_version_ 1814054635400331264
score 13.211869

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