Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences Hospital Practices and Research 2476-390X 9 1 2024 03 01 Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Meta-Worry, Irritable Mood, and Emotional Experience Processing in Anxious Female Nurses 409 415 204573 10.30491/hpr.2024.458798.1427 EN Fatemeh Asban Department of Psychology, Andimeshk Branch, Islamic Azad University, Andimeshk, Iran 0000-0002-7464-7355 Farzaneh Bayat Department of Psychology, Andimeshk Branch, Islamic Azad University, Andimeshk, Iran 0000-0003-4678-3445 Journal Article 2023 10 21 <strong>Background:</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Objectives:</strong> 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.<br /><strong>Methods: </strong>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.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> 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 (<em>P</em> <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.<br /><strong>Conclusion: </strong>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. https://www.jhpr.ir/article_204573_fbb028e124d4173aba1e3e6754939a61.pdf