Acceptance and commitment therapy program to improve psychological flexibility, empathy, and anger management in adolescents involved in crime
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN11760715 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11760715 |
- Submission date
- 19/10/2025
- Registration date
- 20/10/2025
- Last edited
- 20/10/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Young people who get involved in crime often find it hard to manage their emotions, understand others’ feelings, and adapt to difficult situations. This study looked at whether a type of therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) could help improve these skills in teenagers who had been involved in the justice system.
Who can participate?
The study included teenagers aged 15 to 17 years who had previously been part of a legal investigation and chose to take part voluntarily.
What does the study involve?
Participants joined a group program with six weekly sessions, each lasting about two hours. These sessions were held in person and focused on helping the teens accept their thoughts and feelings, stay present, understand themselves better, identify what matters to them, and take positive action. Researchers collected information before the program started, right after it ended, and again one and three months later. A separate group of teens who didn’t receive any therapy were also included for comparison.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Taking part could help teens better manage their emotions, become more empathetic, and handle challenges more flexibly. The risks were very low, with the main one being possible emotional discomfort during group discussions.
Where is the study run from?
The study was carried out at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University in Karaman, Türkiye.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2021 to December 2021
Who is funding the study?
Investigator initiated and funded
Who is the main contact?
Dr Mehtap Genç, mehtap_coplu@kmu.edu.tr
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Neighborhood, Yunus Emre Campus, No: 124-6 / KARAMAN
Karaman
70100
Türkiye
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-6420-9327 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +90 551 420 2830 |
| mehtap_coplu@kmu.edu.tr |
Study information
| Study design | Single-centre quasi-experimental interventional study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | University/medical school/dental school |
| Study type | Quality of life, Treatment |
| Participant information sheet | Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet. |
| Scientific title | Effects of acceptance and commitment therapy-based intervention on psychological flexibility, empathy, and anger in adolescents involved in crime |
| Study acronym | ACT-Youth Crime |
| Study objectives | Research question: Is the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention effective in improving psychological flexibility, empathy, and anger among adolescents involved in crime? Hypotheses: H1: Adolescents who receive the ACT-based intervention will show higher levels of psychological flexibility compared to their pre-intervention scores and to those who did not receive the intervention. H2: Adolescents who receive the ACT-based intervention will show higher levels of empathy compared to their pre-intervention scores and to those who did not receive the intervention. H3: Adolescents who receive the ACT-based intervention will show lower levels of anger compared to their pre-intervention scores and to those who did not receive the intervention. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 30/04/2020, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Social and Human Sciences Research Ethics Committee (Istanbul University - Cerrahpaşa Rectorate, 34320 Avcılar/Istanbul, İstanbul, 34320, Türkiye; +90 212 473 7000; sbbaetik@iuc.edu.tr), ref: 74555795-050.01.04 / 2020-04 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Psychological inflexibility, low empathy, and anger management problems in adolescents involved in crime. |
| Intervention | The intervention was an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based group program designed to enhance psychological flexibility, empathy, and anger regulation in adolescents involved in crime. The program consisted of six weekly face-to-face sessions lasting approximately 120 minutes each and focused on the six core ACT processes (acceptance, cognitive defusion, contacting the present moment, self as context, values, and committed action). Participants in the control group did not receive any psychological intervention during the study period. Assessments were conducted at four time points: pretest (Week 1, immediately before the first session’s therapeutic content), posttest (Week 6, immediately after the last session’s therapeutic content), 1-month, and 3-month follow-up. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Psychological flexibility was measured using the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Turkish version adapted by Yavuz et al. (2016), at four time points: pretest (Week 1, immediately before the first session’s therapeutic content), posttest (Week 6, immediately after the last session’s therapeutic content), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up. |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Empathy was measured using the Child and Adolescent KA-SI Empathic Tendency Scale – Adolescent Form (Kaya & Siyez, 2010) at four time points: pretest (Week 1, immediately before the first session’s therapeutic content), posttest (Week 6, immediately after the last session’s therapeutic content), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up. 2. Anger and anger expression were measured using the Trait Anger – Anger Expression Inventory (TA-AEI), Turkish version adapted by Özer (1994) from Spielberger’s State–Trait Anger Scale, at four time points: pretest (Week 1, immediately before the first session’s therapeutic content), posttest (Week 6, immediately after the last session’s therapeutic content), 1-month follow-up, and 3-month follow-up. |
| Overall study start date | 03/08/2021 |
| Completion date | 07/12/2021 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Learner/student, Service user |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 15 Years |
| Upper age limit | 17 Years |
| Sex | Male |
| Target number of participants | The planned total sample size was 24 participants (12 intervention, 12 control). |
| Total final enrolment | 24 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Aged between 15 and 17 years. 2. Having previously been involved in a forensic investigation (e.g., having testified in law enforcement or prosecutor’s office, being criminally prosecuted or convicted). 3. Not diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder. 4. No speech, hearing, or intellectual impairment that would interfere with communication or participation. 5. Not having received any Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention previously or currently. 6. Having participated in all six intervention sessions. |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Being outside the 15–17 age range. 2. Having no history of involvement in a criminal investigation (e.g., no police or prosecutor testimony, prosecution, or conviction). 3. Having a diagnosed psychiatric disorder or currently receiving psychiatric treatment. 4. Having cognitive, speech, hearing, or intellectual impairments that would prevent participation in the sessions or completion of data collection tools. 5. Having previously received any Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention. 6. Insufficient Turkish literacy to complete questionnaires or understand intervention content. 7. Failure to provide written informed consent from the participant and/or legal guardian. 8. Inability to attend all six sessions or scheduled assessments (e.g., due to relocation, detention, or chronic absenteeism). |
| Date of first enrolment | 03/08/2021 |
| Date of final enrolment | 07/12/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Türkiye
Study participating centre
Karaman
70100
Türkiye
Sponsor information
University/education
Graduate Education Institute, University Neighborhood, University Street No:7, 34320 Avcılar/Istanbul
Istanbul
34320
Türkiye
| Phone | +90 (212) 404 03 00 |
|---|---|
| lisansustuegitim@iuc.edu.tr | |
| Website | https://www.iuc.edu.tr |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/01dzn5f42 |
Funders
Funder type
Other
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2025 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| Publication and dissemination plan | The results of this doctoral study are planned to be published in a peer-reviewed international journal in the field of psychology, psychiatry, or behavioral sciences. Findings were presented as an oral presentation at the 7th International and 11th National Psychiatric Nursing Congress, held on October 18–20, 2023. |
| IPD sharing plan | The individual participant data (IPD) collected during the study will not be made publicly available due to ethical and privacy considerations involving adolescent participants. De-identified summary data may be shared upon reasonable request from the corresponding author (mehtap_coplu@kmu.edu.tr). |
Editorial Notes
20/10/2025: Trial's existence confirmed by Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Social and Human Sciences Research Ethics Committee.
