Effect of Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptom Severity (ACT-OCD)

May 30, 2026 updated by: Mehmet Emrah Karadere

The Effect of Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptom Severity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to investigate the effect of Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) group psychotherapy on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptom severity. Participants with OCD will be randomly assigned to either an ACT-based group psychotherapy arm or a supportive group psychotherapy arm. Each arm consists of 10 to 12 weekly sessions of 2 hours. Symptom severity, psychological flexibility, emotional awareness, functioning and quality of life will be assessed before and after the intervention.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This randomized controlled trial investigates the efficacy of an Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) protocol in adults diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Participants will be recruited from the psychiatry outpatient clinic of Goztepe Prof. Dr. Suleyman Yalcin Sehir Hastanesi.

Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of two arms:

ACT-based group psychotherapy: Structured group therapy targeting emotional awareness, acceptance of emotional experiences, cognitive defusion, present-moment focus, values clarification, and committed action. Groups will consist of 8-10 participants, meeting once weekly for 10-12 sessions of 2 hours each.

Supportive group psychotherapy (active control): Unstructured supportive group therapy aimed at providing emotional support, enhancing coping with stress, and maintaining current functioning. Groups will consist of 8-10 participants, meeting once weekly for 10-12 sessions of 2 hours each.

Assessments will be conducted at baseline and post-treatment using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS), Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (VOCI), SF-36 Quality of Life Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
36

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul
      • Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34722
        • Recruiting
        • Goztepe Prof. Dr. Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Mehmet Emrah Karadere
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Kaasım Fatih Yavuz
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Beyza Baran Boz

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder according to DSM-5 criteria
  • Age between 18-65 years
  • Minimum literacy level
  • Willingness to participate and providing informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age over 65 years
  • Diagnosis of alcohol or substance use disorder
  • Comorbid psychotic disorder or intellectual disability
  • Any change in psychiatric treatment (medication or psychotherapy) in the last 3 months
  • Comorbid psychiatric disorder that would impair group therapy compliance
  • History of cognitive impairment due to dementia, organic brain syndrome or other neurological/organic pathology

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: ACT-Based Group Psychotherapy
Emotion-focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) based structured group psychotherapy targeting emotional awareness, acceptance, cognitive defusion, present-moment focus, values clarification and committed action. Groups consist of 8-10 participants, meeting once weekly for 10-12 sessions of 2 hours each.
Behavioral: Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Group Psychotherapy
Structured group psychotherapy based on ACT principles targeting emotional awareness, acceptance of emotional experiences, cognitive defusion, present-moment focus, values clarification and committed action. Sessions are conducted face-to-face, once weekly, 2 hours per session, for 10-12 weeks.
Active Comparator: Supportive Group Psychotherapy
Unstructured supportive group psychotherapy aimed at providing emotional support, enhancing coping with stress and maintaining current functioning. Groups consist of 8-10 participants, meeting once weekly for 10-12 sessions of 2 hours each.
Behavioral: Emotion-Focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Group Psychotherapy
Structured group psychotherapy based on ACT principles targeting emotional awareness, acceptance of emotional experiences, cognitive defusion, present-moment focus, values clarification and committed action. Sessions are conducted face-to-face, once weekly, 2 hours per session, for 10-12 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Severity
Time Frame: Baseline and 10-12 weeks (post-treatment)
Change in OCD symptom severity measured by Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) from baseline to post-treatment.
Baseline and 10-12 weeks (post-treatment)
OCD Symtom Severity- DOCS
Time Frame: Baseline and 10-12 weeks
Change in OCD symptom severity measured by Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) from baseline to post treatment.
Baseline and 10-12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Mehmet Emrah Karadere

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcın City Hospital

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Mehmet Emrah Karadere, Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcın City Hospital
  • Principal Investigator: Kaasım Fatih Yavuz, Baglamsal Bilimler ve Psikoterapiler Dernegi
  • Study Director: Beyza Baran Boz, Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcın City Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 30, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2026/0040
  • 2025/0040 (Other Identifier: Goztepe SUEH Clinical Research Ethics Committee)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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