Hospital Practices and Research

Abstract Background: Nursing is stressful, especially for female nurses, due to workload and emotional labor. These stressors can contribute to negative emotional states, including meta-worry, irritable mood, and difficulties processing emotions effectively.
Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in reducing meta-worry, irritability, and improving emotional processing in anxious female nurses.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test control group design was employed.  The target population comprised all female nurses at Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran, experiencing anxiety in 2023. A convenience sample of 30 nurses was randomly assigned to either the ACT intervention group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The intervention group received an eight-week ACT program each lasting for 90 minutes. Anxiety-related outcomes were assessed using the Meta-worry Questionnaire, The Irritability Questionnaire, and The Emotional Processing Scale. Data were analyzed using ANCOVA with SPSS-25 software.
Results: Prior to the intervention, no statistically significant differences were identified between the control and experimental groups on measures of meta-worry, irritable mood, and emotional experience processing. Following the ACT intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significant improvements (P <0.001) compared to the control group. Specifically, ACT led to a decrease in meta-worry scores and positive changes in both irritable mood and emotional experience processing among anxious female nurses.
Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that ACT positively improved meta-worry, irritable mood, and emotional experience processing among the participants. These results suggest that ACT may be a valuable intervention for reducing anxiety-related symptoms and improving emotional well-being in female nurses experiencing anxiety.