Differential associations of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy processes with psychological distress across racial groups

Objective: This study examines how individual Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) processes can inform culturally adapted interventions, addressing the limited research on their application across diverse cultural contexts. Participants: The study included 612 undergraduate students from diverse racial backgrounds (35.8% White, 43.8% Asian, 20.4% Multiracial) recruited from a large public university in Hawaii. Methods: Measurement invariance test was conducted to examine the factor structure across groups. Bayesian generalized linear modeling was employed to analyze the relationships between 12 ACT processes and psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and stress. Results: The findings indicated that while some ACT processes (e.g., Inaction) had consistent effects across psychological distress domains and racial groups, others (e.g., Self-as-Context) showed differing associations with psychological distress based on racial background. Conclusions: These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on how specific ACT processes should be tailored to cultural contexts.