Comparing the effectiveness of integrated transdiagnostic therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy based on compassion on mental pain and the experience of dissociation in medical students with suicidal thoughts
Determining the difference in the effectiveness of integrated transdiagnostic therapy and compassion-based acceptance and commitment therapy on mental pain and dissociation experience in medical students with suicidal thoughts
Design
A controlled, parallel-group, randomized, phase 2 clinical trial on 60 patients. Randomization is done in a simple way.
Settings and conduct
This study will be a quasi-experimental interventional trial with pre- and post-test and a control group. The study population will include Alborz University medical students with high Beck Suicide Ideation scores. The initial sample will include 370 students. After screening, 100 students with high scores will be selected, and 60 scoring one standard deviation above the mean on mental pain and disconnection questionnaires will be matched by gender and field and assigned to three groups
Participants/Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Age 18–35 years, willingness to participate in the study, presence of suicidal thoughts based on the Beck Suicide Ideation Scale cutoff score, and no use of psychotropic medications before randomization.
Exclusion criteria: Withdrawal from the study, absence from three or more intervention sessions, or having a psychiatric disorder/illness.
Intervention groups
Intervention Group 1: Integrated Transdiagnostic Therapy (20 participants, eight 90-minute sessions)
Intervention Group 2: Compassion-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (20 participants, eight 90-minute sessions)
Control Group: No intervention (20 participants)
Main outcome variables
mental pain and disconnection, improvement in psychological flexibility, and enhanced emotion regulation and expression.
General information
Reason for update
Acronym
IRCT registration information
IRCT registration number:IRCT20221024056281N2
Registration date:2025-12-20, 1404/09/29
Registration timing:registered_while_recruiting
Last update:2025-12-20, 1404/09/29
Update count:0
Registration date
2025-12-20, 1404/09/29
Registrant information
Name
Hedieh Babakhanzadeh
Name of organization / entity
Country
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Phone
+98 912 388 6351
Email address
hedieh.khanzadeh@yahoo.com
Recruitment status
Recruitment complete
Funding source
Expected recruitment start date
2025-12-20, 1404/09/29
Expected recruitment end date
2026-01-19, 1404/10/29
Actual recruitment start date
empty
Actual recruitment end date
empty
Trial completion date
empty
Scientific title
Comparing the effectiveness of integrated transdiagnostic therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy based on compassion on mental pain and the experience of dissociation in medical students with suicidal thoughts
Public title
“Comparison of Two Psychological Approaches in Reducing Mental Pain and Feelings of Dissociation in University Students”
Purpose
Prevention
Inclusion/Exclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria:
Studying in one of the medical sciences fields of the University of Medical Sciences
Age between 18 and 35 years
Consent to participate in the study
Having suicidal thoughts based on the cut-off score of the Beck Suicidal Thoughts Questionnaire before randomization
Exclusion criteria:
Not using antipsychotic medications
Withdrawing from the study
Missing three or more intervention sessions
Having a mental illness or disorder
Age
From 18 years old to 35 years old
Gender
Both
Phase
2
Groups that have been masked
No information
Sample size
Target sample size:
60
Randomization (investigator's opinion)
Randomized
Randomization description
The sample from the initial selection was allocated into three groups by simple randomization.
Blinding (investigator's opinion)
Not blinded
Blinding description
Placebo
Not used
Assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Secondary Ids
empty
Ethics committees
1
Ethics committee
Name of ethics committee
Ethics Committee of Alborz University of Medical Sciences
Street address
Imam Hossein Educational and Medical Center, Mohammadshahr, Karaj, Alborz
City
karaj
Province
Alborz
Postal code
3184669519
Approval date
2025-09-23, 1404/07/01
Ethics committee reference number
IR.ABZUMS.REC.1404.231
Health conditions studied
1
Description of health condition studied
Suicide
ICD-10 code
ICD-10 code description
Primary outcomes
1
Description
mental pain and the experience of disconnection
Timepoint
Pre-test: Before the start of the intervention - Post-test: After the end of 8 intervention sessions - Follow-up: One month after the intervention
Intervention Group 1: Integrated Transdiagnostic Therapy (20 participants, eight 90-minute sessions)First session: Increasing motivation, motivational interviewing for participant participation and engagement during treatment, presenting the rationale for treatment and determining treatment goalsSecond session: Recognizing emotion, providing psychological education on the adaptive and functional nature of emotions, and teaching the three-component model of emotional experiencesThird session: Recognizing and tracking emotional experiences, monitoring emotional experiences, introducing ARC emotions, introducing learned emotional response concepts.Fourth session: Teaching arousal, observing experiences, illicit emotional feelings, getting to know the present, performing emotional exercises, training techniques using mood inductionFifth session: Cognitive assessment and reappraisal, introducing thought traps, introducing cognitive assessment, practicing ambiguous imagery, changing cognitive assessmentSixth session: Emotion and types of emotional strategies, how emotions affect emotional experiences, examining and identifying different strategies for thinking about emotion.Seventh session: Emotional behaviors; About exciting behaviors, how EDB affects emotional experiences, identifying and responding to EDBsSession eighth: Understanding physical and possible feelings with, symptom induction test, repeated presence and post-test administration, termination of treatment.
Category
Prevention
2
Description
Intervention Group 2: Compassion-Based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (20 participants, eight 90-minute sessions)First, the goal and content: introducing therapy sessions, conducting a pre-test, introducing and getting to know the group members, stating the group rules and goals, introducing acceptance and commitment therapy based on compassion, suffering, healing, and introducing the causes of human suffering. Homework: Doing self-practice, presenting an assignment to examine behaviors based on self typesSecond goal and content: Efficacy as a measurement criterion, creating creative frustration, introducing emotion regulation systems, introducing types of human suffering, introducing types of human needs, introducing dimensions of compassionThird goal and content: Feedback from the previous session, summarizing past sessions, expressing control as a problem (problem), the conscious brainHomework: Reviewing last week's assignment, presenting the assignment sheet and then reviewing it based on compassionate reasoningFourth goal and content: Using cognitive fault-finding techniques, intervening in the functioning of problematic language chains, weakening good alliances with thoughts and emotionsHomework: Feedback from the previous session, reviewing the assignment from the previous session, presenting the assignment sheet to look mindfully at feelings and stay with feelings, reviewing the assignment and behavioral commitment, practicing receiving kindness from colleagues, performing the assignment to be kind to colleagues, performing the role-playing exercise of being kind to oneselfFifth goal and content: Providing a summary of previous sessions, reviewing the assignments from the previous session, getting feedback from the process of the sessions, weakening the self-concept and expressing oneself as an observer, demonstrating separation between selves, inner experiences and behavior, application of mindfulness techniques, performing imagery, introducing the characteristics of a kind personPresentation of homework: homework sheet including mindfully looking at suffering, compassionate reasoning towards suffering, mindfully seeing emotions and performing imagery while sufferingSixth goal and content: Providing a summary of previous sessions, getting feedback from the session process, modeling exiting the mind, learning to see inner experiences as a process, introducing different dimensions of compassionate attention, introducing non-judgmentalismAssignment: Reviewing the assignments of the previous session, presenting the assignment of listing the positive and negative values of oneself and colleagues and practicing paying attention instead of being drySeventh goal and content of the session: Showing the dangers of focusing on results, discovering practical values in life, retelling the characteristics of a kind person, introducing compassionate behavior, introducing types of compassionate behavior. Assignment: Feedback from the previous session, summary of previous sessions, presenting the assignment of practicing types of compassionate behaviors in everyday behaviors, practicing behaviors one by one at firstEighth goal and content of the session: Determining patterns of action consistent with values, re-introducing compassionate behavior. Assignment: Feedback from the previous session, review of last week's assignment, case-by-case review of behaviors based on the training provided in previous sessions.