Zeinab Hasanzadeh Dastjerdi1 
, Naser Sobhi Gharamaleki *2 , Behashteh Niusha3 , Hasan Gharayagh Zandi4
, Naser Sobhi Gharamaleki *2 , Behashteh Niusha3 , Hasan Gharayagh Zandi4
1- Department of psychology,Sav.C, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran.
2- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran ,sobhi@atu.ac.ir
3- Department of Psychology, Sav.C, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
4- Associate Professor, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran ,
3- Department of Psychology, Sav.C, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
4- Associate Professor, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (7 Views)
Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on the cognitive resilience of adolescent athletes with insecure attachment styles.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study utilizing a pretest-posttest and two-month follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population comprised adolescent athletes in District 4 of Tehran, with an initial screened sample of 200 individuals. Based on Cohen’s table, a final sample of 45 participants (15 per group) was selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The first and second experimental groups underwent nine sessions of ACT and CBT, respectively. The research instrument was the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC, 2003). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) via SPSS-27.
Results: The results indicated that at the posttest stage, both intervention methods had a significant effect on improving the cognitive resilience of adolescent athletes with insecure attachment styles (p < .01). This improvement was also sustained significantly at the follow-up stage. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of ACT and CBT.
Conclusions: The findings demonstrated that ACT—through the acceptance of emotions, prevention of experiential avoidance, and the formation of committed action and healthy habits—as well as CBT—by focusing on adolescents’ individual abilities to modify their lifestyle—both contributed effectively to enhancing the cognitive resilience of adolescents with insecure attachment styles.
Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study utilizing a pretest-posttest and two-month follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population comprised adolescent athletes in District 4 of Tehran, with an initial screened sample of 200 individuals. Based on Cohen’s table, a final sample of 45 participants (15 per group) was selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The first and second experimental groups underwent nine sessions of ACT and CBT, respectively. The research instrument was the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC, 2003). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) via SPSS-27.
Results: The results indicated that at the posttest stage, both intervention methods had a significant effect on improving the cognitive resilience of adolescent athletes with insecure attachment styles (p < .01). This improvement was also sustained significantly at the follow-up stage. Furthermore, a significant difference was observed between the effectiveness of ACT and CBT.
Conclusions: The findings demonstrated that ACT—through the acceptance of emotions, prevention of experiential avoidance, and the formation of committed action and healthy habits—as well as CBT—by focusing on adolescents’ individual abilities to modify their lifestyle—both contributed effectively to enhancing the cognitive resilience of adolescents with insecure attachment styles.
Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Resilience, Adolescent Athletes, Insecure Attachment Style.
Type of Study: Original |
Subject:
Evolutionary Psychology
Received: 2026/03/21 | Accepted: 2026/08/24
Received: 2026/03/21 | Accepted: 2026/08/24
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
