Het effect van “ACT your way” op de depressieve klachten, schoolbeleving, schoolverzuim en schoolresultaten en de mediërende rol van cognitieve emotieregulatie strategieën bij depressieve jongeren

Abstract

Background: The existing treatment guidelines for depressed young people, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy and medication, do not always seem to have sufficient effect. Learning how to use adaptive emotion regulation strategies might be a way to prevent and treat a depression. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) contributes to the improvement of these strategies. Aim: This study explores whether there is a positive effect of ACT on the emotion regulation of young people on therefor a mediation effect on their depressive symptoms. In addition, this study examines whether a decrease in the depressive symptoms of young people has a mediation effect on their school experience, the absence and the school results. Method: For this study data was used from the pilot effect study: “ACT your Way”. Participants (n=26) where youngsters aged 14 to 26 years old (M = 18.0, SD = 2.83). All the youngsters have a major depressive mood disorder as main diagnosis. They all have had previous treatment for their depression according to the guidelines (CBT, IPT), from which they have not benefited sufficiently or have fallen back into a depressive disorder (after a symptom-free period of at least two months). A paired t-test was used to compare the pre- and post-measurements and a PROCESS for mediation analysis was used to determine the mediation effect. Results: This study showed that depressed young people report significantly less depressive symptoms after following “ACT your way” and that they make more positive reinterpretation. No difference was found on school experience, absenteeism and school results. Also, no mediating effect of cognitive emotion regulation strategies on depressive symptoms and no mediating effect of depressive symptoms on school experience, absenteeism and school results were found. Conclusion: The results of this study are a first indication that “ACT your way” can contribute to a reduction of depressive symptoms in youngsters. In the future, the actual effect and the role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies will have to be further explored. It is important that a larger, more representative sample will be used and also a control and experimental group, in order to be able to make more accuracy statements about the effectiveness of the ACT-based intervention “ACT your way”.