فصلنامه روانشناسی شناختی

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of short-term cognitive intervention and acceptance and mindfulness-based intervention on cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. The research was applied in terms of purpose and quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest and control group design. The statistical population included all patients with generalized anxiety disorder who referred to counseling and psychiatric centers in Tehran in 2025. The sample consisted of 45 participants (30 in the experimental groups and 15 in the control group) who were selected through convenience and purposive sampling. The instruments used included the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & VanderWal, 2010) and the Inhibitory Control Questionnaire (Brow & Nuro), and the interventions consisted of Beck’s Short-Term Cognitive Protocol (2011) and Gardner and Moore’s Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Intervention (2017) applied to the experimental groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 at descriptive levels (mean, standard deviation) and inferential level (analysis of covariance). The results indicated that both interventions were effective in improving cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, and they exhibited differential effectiveness. These findings can provide a basis for selecting targeted and optimized interventions in the treatment of patients with generalized anxiety disorder.