0000000000124479
AUTHOR
Simone Gorinelli
Virtual reality acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for social and public speaking anxiety : A randomized controlled trial
Virtual reality (VR) offers new and flexible ways to provide psychological interventions. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the effectiveness of a VR intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for social and public speaking anxiety. ACT is a process-based approach that aims to (a) increase individuals’ abilities to handle difficult emotional and cognitive experiences and (b) develop the motivation required for change to occur. In this study, a sample of university students with social interaction or communication anxiety (N = 76; age M = 24.95, SD = 6.50, 69.7% females) was blindly randomized into a total of 2 h of VR ACT training (VRACT; n = 37) or a w…
The effectiveness of a five-session workshop on the distress of international students in Finland – a pilot study
The mental health of international students has become a concern, as they face high levels of psychological distress. We designed a five-week acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) workshop with two additional individual assessment meetings. The intervention aimed at helping international students attending a Finnish university to reduce their symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety, and enhance skills of psychological flexibility. The post-assessment was conducted seven weeks after the pre-measurement. Using data from 53 participants, an evaluation indicated that statistically and clinically significant reductions in symptoms were observed, and the workshop was well received. Regressi…
Psychological Processes in the Social Interaction and Communication Anxiety of University Students : The Role of Self-Compassion and Psychological Flexibility
University students often experience difficulties in social interactions. The current study examined the role of self-compassion and psychological flexibility among university students (N= 76) reporting high levels of social interaction and communication anxiety. We observed that high social interaction (SIAS) and communication anxiety (PRCA-24) were associated with low levels of self-compassion and psychological flexibility. Upon further investigating the specific predictors for social interaction and communication anxiety, we found that self-judgment, over-identification and openness to experiences were the key components in self-compassion and psychological flexibility, respectively. How…