The effect of acceptance and commitment therapy on the psychological flexibility and inflexibility of undergraduate students: A systematic review and three-level meta-analysis

Abstract

Rising rates of mental health problems in undergraduate students is a critical public health issue. There is evidence supporting the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) in decreasing psychological symptoms in undergraduates, which is thought to be facilitated through increases in psychological flexibility (PF) and decreases in psychological inflexibility (PIF). However, little is known about the effect of ACT on these processes in undergraduates. We conducted a systematic review and three-level meta-analysis examining this effect in 20 studies, which provided 56 effect sizes. A combined sample of 1750 undergraduates yielded a small-to-medium overall effect (g = 0.38, SE = 0.09, p