Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine effects of an online Acceptance and commitment therapy program on self-control, self-esteem, perceived stress, and smartphone over- dependence in female college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, when face-to-face interactions were limited and device usage was increasing. Promotional posters were posted on an online community for smartphone over-dependence female college students with smartphone over-dependence. Students who wanted to participate in this study were recruited. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=16) or a waiting list control group (n=16). The experimental group participated in the online acceptance commitment program using a video conference program (ZOOM). In the experimental group, program was conducted for four weeks (twice per week and 8 sessions in total), with each session taking about 90 minutes. Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-16 (AAQ-16), Self-Control Scale (SCS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale for Adults (SAPS-A) were used as baseline measures, and the average screen time of smartphone was reported by participants. All participants completed a pre-test, a post-test, and a follow-up test after six weeks of post-test. Results are as follows. Compared to the waiting list control group, the experimental group's acceptance behavior, self-control, and self-esteem increased while the level of smartphone over-dependence decreased. However, there was no significant difference in perceived stress between the two groups. Lastly, implications and limitations of this study, and suggestions for future studies are discussed.