Abstract :
Introduction: Individuals may use suppression to control their intrusive thoughts. Some studies show that thought suppression decreases the intrusive thoughts, but other studies report that thought suppression leads to a significant increase of intrusive thoughts. Additionally, the effects of alternative strategies such as acceptance have not been extensively studied yet. Noteworthy, cross-cultural studies have shown that strategies such as suppression and acceptance are different between eastern and western cultures. Hence, this research aimed at investigating the influences of thought suppression and acceptance on intrusive thoughts in Iranian culture. Methods: 66 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (thought suppression, acceptance, and control group). Participants answered to questionnaires, including White Bear suppression inventory, the Beck depression inventory-II, general health questionnaire, the second version of acceptance and action questionnaire. They were then asked to record the frequency of their thoughts by placing a check mark on a sheet of paper every time they experienced these intrusions. Data were analysed using ANOVA. Results: Results indicated that there is a significant difference among groups (F2,62 = 3.63, p0.03), and the significant difference was between the acceptance group and thought suppression (p0.02). Acceptance group experienced significantly higher levels of thought suppression Conclusion: Suppression in short-term is a useful strategy because it does not lead to intrusive thoughts. Not only does suppression work temporarily, but also it serves as a neutralizational strategy. As a matter of fact, suppression terminates exposure to the intrusive thoughts and prevents the perceived negative consequences of the intrusive thoughts.
