Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on coping styles, cognitive emotion regulation, and self-compassion among Iranian girls aged 19–28 years who had experienced repeated emotional failure following romantic relationship dissolution.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group and a one-month follow-up was employed. Thirty participants were purposively selected from counseling centers in District 5 of Tehran, Iran, in 2024, based on predefined inclusion criteria. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving ACT (n = 15) or a control group receiving no intervention (n = 15). The ACT intervention consisted of eight sessions delivered over four weeks (two 2-hour sessions per week) and focused on acceptance, mindfulness, and values-based behavior. Data were collected at baseline, posttest, and follow-up using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted, controlling for pretest scores.
Results: The results indicated that participants in the ACT group showed significant improvements in adaptive coping styles, cognitive emotion regulation, and self-compassion compared to the control group at posttest and one-month follow-up (p < .05). Specifically, increases were observed in problem-focused coping strategies, adaptive emotion regulation strategies, and positive self-compassion. These effects remained stable over time.
Conclusions: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy appears to be an effective intervention for enhancing coping mechanisms, emotional regulation, and self-compassion among young women experiencing emotional failure due to romantic relationship dissolution. The findings support the use of ACT in culturally specific mental health settings and provide practical implications for psychological interventions targeting emotional recovery.