Do people with different personalities react differently to the interventions of acceptance and commitment therapy?

Spreizer, Anže (author), Vučković, Vojko (author), Kajtna, Tanja (author)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) interventions in changing psychological flexibility processes in young physically active adults aged 20 to 25 years (N = 30). It also examined the moderating role of personality traits, measured with the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ). Participants self-selected into either an experimental group, which completed eight weekly ACT-based interventions, or a passive control group. All participants completed the BFQ and the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI) at baseline. The MPFI was administered again after 10 weeks, while personality was assessed only at baseline. The study showed that at baseline, psychological flexibility processes differed between the groups, with the experimental group reporting lower flexibility. After 10 weeks, no significant differences remained. The ACT interventions were associated with a reduction in inflexibility processes in the experimental group, while the control group also showed a decrease in flexibility processes. Within the experimental group, the personality trait of dominance negatively predicted changes in most psychological flexibility processes. While previous research supports the effectiveness of ACT interventions for mental health, this study expands current understanding by focusing on a physically active young adult sample and assessing both flexibility and inflexibility processes. Personality traits, particularly dominance, may moderate ACT intervention outcomes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sport, acceptance and commitment therapy, ACT, psychological flexibility, personality traits, dominance, young adults
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 252-277
• Numbering: Vol. 31, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180545
• UDC: 796.01
• ISSN on article: 2232-4062
• DOI: 10.52165/kinsi.31.2.252-277
• COBISS.SI-ID: 259040515
• Publication date in RUL: 11.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Kinesiologia Slovenica : scientific journal on sport
• Shortened title: Kinesiol. Slov.
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-4062
• COBISS.SI-ID: 257386752

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Ali se ljudje z različnimi osebnostnimi lastnostmi odzivajo različno na intervencije terapije sprejemanja in predanosti?

Abstract

Predstavljena študija je preučevala učinkovitost intervencij terapije sprejemanja in predanosti (ACT) na spremembe v procesih psihološke fleksibilnosti pri fizično aktivnih mladih odraslih, starih med 20 in 25 let (N = 30). Poleg tega je bilo s pomočjo vprašalnika Velikih pet (BFQ) ocenjeno tudi, kakšno vlogo imajo pri tem osebnostne lastnosti. Udeleženci študije so se sami razvrstili bodisi v eksperimentalno skupino, ki je končala osemtedenske ACT-intervencije, bodisi v pasivno kontrolno skupino. Vsi udeleženci so na začetku študije izpolnili vprašalnik BFQ in večdimenzionalni vprašalnik psihološke fleksibilnosti (MPFI). MPFI so udeleženci izpolnili še enkrat po desetih tednih, medtem ko se je njihova osebnost ocenila le na začetku študije. Študija je pokazala, da so bili procesi psihološke fleksibilnosti med skupinama na začetku študije različni, pri čemer je eksperimentalna skupina izražala nižjo fleksibilnost. Po desetih tednih razlik med skupinama ni bilo več. Pri eksperimentalni skupini so bile ACT-intervencije povezane z zmanjšanjem procesov nefleksibilnosti, medtem ko so se v kontrolni skupini zmanjšali procesi fleksibilnosti. V eksperimentalni skupini je dominantnost, kot osebnostna lastnost, negativno napovedovala spremembe pri večini procesov psihološke fleksibilnosti. Medtem ko prejšnje raziskave podpirajo učinkovitost ACT-intervencij na duševno zdravje, ta študija širi trenutno razumevanje vpliva intervencij na procese fleksibilnosti in nefleksibilnosti, s poudarkom na vzorcu fizično aktivnih mladih odraslih. Osebnostne lastnosti, predvsem dominantnost, lahko vplivajo na učinke ACT-intervencij.

• Keywords: šport, terapija sprejemanja in predanosti, ACT, psihološka fleksibilnost, osebnostne lastnosti, dominantnost, mladi odrasli