KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Psychology of Woman Journal 3041-8615 5 Serial Number 19 2024 07 01 The Comparison of ACT and CBT on Health Anxiety and Emotional Self-Awareness of Adult Women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder The Comparison of ACT and CBT on Health Anxiety and Emotional Self-Awareness of Adult Women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder 145 155 10.61838/kman.pwj.5.3.17 EN Journal Article 2024 04 02 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on reducing health anxiety and enhancing emotional self-awareness among adult women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>In this randomized controlled trial, 45 adult women diagnosed with GAD in Tehran were assigned to one of three groups: ACT (n = 15), CBT (n = 15), or a control group (n = 15). The ACT group participated in eight 90-minute sessions, while the CBT group underwent twelve 60-minute sessions. Both interventions spanned a 12-week period. Health anxiety was measured using the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI), and emotional self-awareness was assessed with the Emotional Self-Awareness Scale (ESAS). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at a four-month follow-up. Data analysis involved repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests using SPSS-27 software.</p> <p><strong>Findings: </strong>Both ACT and CBT groups showed significant reductions in health anxiety and significant increases in emotional self-awareness from baseline to post-test, which were maintained at the four-month follow-up (p &lt; .001). No significant differences were found between the ACT and CBT groups regarding the effectiveness of the interventions (p &gt; .05). The control group did not exhibit significant changes over time (p &gt; .05). The Time × Group interaction was not statistically significant, indicating similar patterns of improvement in both intervention groups.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ACT and CBT are equally effective in reducing health anxiety and enhancing emotional self-awareness among adult women with GAD. The findings suggest that both therapies can be viable options for treating health anxiety and improving emotional self-awareness.</p> https://www.journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/psywoman/article/download/3264/4724