The Use of Online-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (e-ACT) to Improve the Psychological Wellbeing among University Students

• Main Authors: Yoke Yong, Chen, Siti Meriyam, Bakar, Rosalia, Saimon, Razitasham, Safii
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2022
• Subjects: BF Psychology; RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/40219/3/The%20Use%20of%20Online-based%20-%20Copy.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/40219/; https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/87568225.2022.2134073?src=
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

A notable deterioration in mental health, especially anxiety and depression, was seen among university students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, immediate preventive action is required to remedy this concern by using the online-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (e-ACT). The effectiveness of this e-ACT on psychological flexibility and mental wellbeing was assessed among 52 Malaysian undergraduate university students aged between 18 and 23 years old during the pandemic. Based on a small group approach, participants received two online e-ACT sessions (a total of 5 hours). The paired sample t-tests result showed a significant improvement on mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and wellbeing among the students. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test showed a significant decrease in depression, anxiety, and stress. These findings support the use of e-ACT mental health education to promote psychological wellbeing among university students. Further empirical studies are needed to test the effectiveness of e-ACT on psychological flexibility and mental wellbeing.