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

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

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

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

36

Phase

  • 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 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

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
Intervention / Treatment
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

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

Mehmet Emrah Karadere

Collaborators

Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcın City Hospital

Investigators

  • 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)

October 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 30, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 30, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID 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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