Commitment Therapy Intervention Research Articles

Randomized controlled trial of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and compassion-based group intervention for persons with inflammatory bowel disease: the LIFEwithIBD intervention.

This study tested the acceptability and efficacy of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and compassion-based intervention (LIFEwithIBD) in people with IBD through a two-arm RCT. Participants were recruited at the Gastroenterology Department of the Coimbra University Hospital between June and September 2019. Of the 355 patients screened, those who accepted to participate were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: experimental group (LIFEwithIBD; n = 25) or control group (waitlist; n = 29). Participants completed self-report measures at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1), and 3-month (T2) and 12-month (T3) follow-ups. Intervention acceptability was assessed. Efficacy was examined using intent-to-treat ANCOVA at post-intervention after adjusting for baseline values of depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms (primary outcomes). Linear mixed models for all longitudinal outcomes were also analysed. Inflammatory and disease biomarkers were determined at T0 and T3. Acceptability results revealed a high level of satisfaction and perceived usefulness regarding the intervention. Both groups experienced a significant decrease in stress symptoms and IBD symptom perception at T1. No significant differences were observed at follow-up for the primary outcomes. The experimental group reported significantly lower Crohn's disease Symptom severity at T2 than the control group. Post-hoc analyses designed to mitigate floor effects revealed substantial treatment effects for the experimental group regarding anxiety symptoms. No significant differences were observed in clinical biomarkers from T0 to T3. The LIFEwithIBD intervention shows promising, although preliminary, benefits for managing disease activity and reducing anxiety symptoms in IBD patients with high severity of psychological distress.Clinical trial registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03840707, identifier NCT03840707.

A pilot randomised controlled trial of acceptance and commitment therapy for medication decision-making and quality of life in women with breast cancer: The ACTION trial.

Non-adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (AET) in women with breast cancer is common and associated with medication side-effects and distress. We co-designed an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention (ACTION) to enhance medication decision-making and quality of life (QoL). We undertook a pilot trial of ACTION to inform the feasibility of a phase III trial, and to examine intervention acceptability. This was a multi-site, exploratory, two-arm, individually randomised external pilot trial. Women with early breast cancer prescribed AET were randomised (1:1) to receive usual care (UC) or UC+ACTION. The ACTION intervention comprised a remotely delivered one-to-one ACT session followed by three group sessions delivered by clinical psychologists, alongside a website containing ideas for the self-management of side effects. Of the 480 women screened for eligibility, 260 (54.2%) were approached and 79 (30.4%) randomised. 71 (89.9%) women provided data at 3-month and 70 (88.6%) at 6-month 40 women were randomised to receive UC+ACTION and 32 (80.0%) completed the intervention. Most (75.0%) accessed the website at least once. ACTION was acceptable to participants (Borkovec & Nau Scale: mean=7.8 [SD=2.7] out of 10). Signals of effectiveness in favour of the UC+ACTION arm were observed for medication adherence (Adherence Starts with Knowledge questionnaire-12), QoL (work and social adjustment scale), health-related QoL (functional assessment of cancer therapy[FACT] general and FACT-ES-19/23), distress (generalised anxiety disorder -7, patient health questionnaire-9) and psychological flexibility (valuing questionnaire). The ACTION intervention was acceptable to patients. There were promising signals for effectiveness on primary and secondary outcomes. A phase III randomised controlled trial is feasible. ISRCTN12027752.

Brief online acceptance and commitment therapy for adults with type 1 diabetes: a pilot study.

Recognizing the pivotal role of psychosocial factors in triggering and maintaining Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM), the integration of psychoeducational and psychotherapeutic interventions is associated with comprehensive management of the disease. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a four-week online individual Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention in mitigating diabetes-associated stress, fostering diabetes acceptance, enhancing the patient-doctor relationship, and promoting psychological flexibility in adults diagnosed with T1DM. Employing a single-arm trial design with mixed methodology, thirteen participants (Mage = 39.04, SDage =13.74) engaged in the intervention and completed self-report measures before and after the intervention. Quantitative analysis with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated a statistically significant difference in diabetes-associated stress, diabetes acceptance, and psychological flexibility pre- and post-intervention. Notably, stress levels and psychological inflexibility diminished, while psychological flexibility and diabetes acceptance improved. However, the patient-doctor relationship did not exhibit a significant change. Furthermore, narrative feedback obtained from participants reflected overall satisfaction with the intervention. These preliminary findings contribute to the expanding body of literature supporting the affirmative influence of ACT interventions on individuals with T1DM.

The Effectiveness of ACT and DBT-Based Interventions with and without Exercise on Pain Outcomes and Desire for Treatment in Substance-Dependent Patients with Chronic Pain

Background: Managing chronic pain outcomes and addressing the desire for addiction treatment can be crucial for recovery from substance dependence and chronic pain. Objectives: This study aimed to control pain outcomes and enhance the desire for treatment using interventions based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and physical exercise. Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test-post-test design with a two-month follow-up period and included a control group. Seventy-five voluntary patients undergoing addiction treatment in 2021 at Taban, Hayate Pak, and Omid addiction treatment centers in Zahedan with chronic pain participated. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to five groups (ACT and DBT groups with and without exercise, and a control group). Data were collected using the Pain Outcomes Questionnaire-VA (POQ-VA) (Clark, Gironda, & Young, 2003) and the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness scale (SOCRATES) (Miller & Tonigan, 1996). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention (eight sessions), DBT intervention (eight sessions), and aerobic exercise (24 sessions) were conducted only for the intervention groups over two months. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni's post hoc test with SPSS-26 software at a significance level of 0.05 (P < 0.05). Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant changes for ACT and DBT interventions with and without exercise in the intragroup effect (time) for pain outcomes and the desire for treatment across the pre-intervention, post-intervention, and follow-up stages (P ≤ 0.001), as well as for time-group interaction (P ≤ 0.001). Furthermore, the three groups exhibited significant differences in pain outcomes and the desire for treatment across the three evaluation stages (P ≤ 0.01). Notably, compared to other interventions, ACT intervention with exercise was more effective in managing pain outcomes and enhancing the desire for treatment (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: The findings suggest that ACT intervention with exercise, while controlling pain outcomes and increasing the desire for treatment, can contribute to successful addiction cessation and serve as an effective intervention in healthcare settings.

A digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and education intervention targeting stress of parents and caregivers with preterm babies in the neonatal intensive care unit: A randomised controlled cluster trial protocol

BackgroundParents with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience high levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The NICU experience may also lead to impaired parenting and early childhood socio-emotional problems.Psychosocial interventions can reduce NICU parent distress. Yet many are time-intensive and costly to deliver. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based psychological therapy, may address these needs. ACT has been shown to be effective in reducing distress of parents of children with chronic illnesses, particularly when combined with parent education.Therefore, the primary aim of this study is to determine if a digital intervention that uses a brief form of ACT plus parent education will reduce the stress of primary caregivers with preterm babies in the NICU more than a digital education-only intervention or standard care control group. MethodsIn a randomised controlled cluster trial design, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: ACT plus education; education-only; or standard care control. The primary outcome will be parental/caregiver stress levels, measured on the Parental Stress Scale: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Secondary outcomes include overall stress, anxiety, and depression. Outcome measures will be evaluated at baseline, two weeks after enrolment, discharge to home, and 3-months post-discharge. ConclusionThis study will explore the efficacy of a digital ACT plus education intervention on parental stress levels. While position papers have advocated for the use of ACT with NICU parents, this study will be the first to test ACT as a stand-alone intervention with this population. Trial registrationThis trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry on 14 June 2023 (ACTRN12623000641695p).

Wellbeing After Stroke (WAterS): Feasibility Testing of a Co-developed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention to Support Psychological Adjustment After Stroke

Objective Feasibility test a co-developed intervention based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to support psychological adjustment post-stroke, delivered by a workforce with community in-reach. Design Observational feasibility study utilising patient, carer, public involvement. Setting Online. UK. Participants Stroke survivors with self-reported psychological distress 4 + months post-stroke. Interventions The co-developed Wellbeing After Stroke (WAterS) intervention includes: 9-weekly, structured, online, group sessions for stroke survivors, delivered via a training programme to upskill staff without Acceptance and Commitment Therapy experience, under Clinical Psychology supervision. Main measures Feasibility of recruitment and retention; data quality from candidate measures; safety. Clinical and demographic information at baseline; patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) via online surveys (baseline, pre- and post-intervention, 3 and 6 months after intervention end) including Mood (hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS)), Wellbeing (ONS4), Health-Related Quality of Life (EQ5D5L), Psychological Flexibility (AAQ-ABI) and Values-Based Living (VQ). Results We trained eight staff and recruited 17 stroke survivors with mild-to-moderate cognitive and communication difficulties. 12/17 (71%) joined three intervention groups with 98% attendance and no related adverse events. PROMS data were well-completed. The HADS is a possible future primary outcome (self-reported depression lower on average by 1.3 points: 8.5 pre-group to 7.1 at 3-month follow-up; 95% CI 0.4 to 3.2). Conclusion The WAterS intervention warrants further research evaluation. Staff can be trained and upskilled to deliver. It appears safe and feasible to deliver online to groups, and study recruitment and data collection are feasible. Funding has been secured to further develop the intervention, considering implementation and health equality.

Evidence-based interventions to treat chronic low back pain: treatment selection for apersonalized medicine approach : German version

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is highly prevalent in the United States and globally, resulting in functional impairment and lowered quality of life. While many treatments are available for cLBP, clinicians have little information about which specific treatment(s) will work best for individual patients or subgroups of patients. The Back Pain Research Consortium, part of the National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Long-termSM (HEAL) Initiative, will conduct acollaborative clinical trial, which seeks to develop apersonalized medicine algorithm to optimize patient and provider treatment selection for patients with cLBP. The primary objective of this article is to provide an update on evidence-based cLBP interventions and describe the process of reviewing and selecting interventions for inclusion in the clinical trial. Aworking group of cLBP experts reviewed and selected interventions for inclusion in the clinical trial. The primary evaluation measures were strength of evidence and magnitude of treatment effect. When available in the literature, duration of effect, onset time, carryover effect, multimodal efficacy, responder subgroups, and evidence for the mechanism of treatment effect or biomarkers were considered. The working group selected 4leading, evidence-based treatments for cLBP to be tested in the clinical trial and for use in routine clinical treatment. These treatments include (1)duloxetine, (2)acceptance and commitment therapy, (3)aclassification-based exercise and manual therapy intervention, and (4)aself-management approach. These interventions each had amoderate to high level of evidence to support atherapeutic effect and were from different therapeutic classes.

Evaluation of an Integrated Fluency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Intervention for Adolescents and Adults Who Stutter.

Developmental stuttering is a complex and multifaceted neurodevelopmental disorder that may cause pervasive negative consequences for adults who stutter (AWS). Historically, intervention for AWS has primarily addressed speech fluency, with less focus on the covert psychosocial aspects of the disorder. The purpose of this article is to report on a feasibility trial evaluating a novel integrated intervention that combines traditional stuttering management techniques with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for AWS. Twenty-nine AWS participated in the feasibility trial. All participants successfully completed a combined fluency and ACT intervention, titled the fluency and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Stuttering (fACTS) Program. As this was a feasibility study, no control group was included. Intervention was administered by two certified practicing speech-language pathologists, over eight 60- to 90-min sessions. Generalized linear mixed modeling was used to determine change from pre- to post-intervention and follow-up. Significant pre- and post-intervention improvements in self-efficacy, psychosocial functioning, and psychological flexibility were observed, along with significant reductions in observable stuttering behaviors (i.e., stuttered speech frequency). Intervention gains for all variables of interest were maintained 3 and 6 months post-intervention. The fACTS Program was created to be a holistic and flexible intervention to promote self-efficacy beliefs and address stuttering-related psychosocial impacts and speech fluency goals of AWS. Preliminary results indicated positive improvement in all psychosocial outcomes (i.e., self-efficacy, psychosocial impact, and psychological flexibility) and observable speech fluency following completion of the program. Future clinical trials of the fACTS Program with an included control group will further investigate the mechanisms of change for the positive effects observed.

Empowering Movement: Enhancing Young Adults' Physical Activity through Self-Determination Theory and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Intervention.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a combined Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention, the "Running Minds" program, in promoting physical activity (PA) among young adults. The intervention, consisting of eight sessions, targeted motivational and psychological barriers to PA. It intertwined SDT's core components (autonomy, competence, relatedness) with ACT's emphasis on mindfulness and value-driven actions. This study used a qualitative approach, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with twelve participants aged 20-35, conducted post-intervention. Our reflexive thematic analysis of the interviews revealed five key themes: alignment with personal values, rewarding experience of the sessions, fulfillment of social connectedness, enhancement of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and observable behavioral changes. These findings highlight the importance of aligning exercise with personal values and the role of supportive social environments in sustaining PA. The integration of SDT and ACT in the "Running Minds" program appears to be a viable approach for enhancing motivation and adherence to PA among young adults. This study offers valuable insights for future PA interventions, underscoring the need for strategies that consider psychological and social dimensions. Limitations and Future Research: Despite the promising results, limitations include potential recall bias and the short duration of the study. Further research, especially focusing on more diverse groups and employing longitudinal designs, is recommended to broaden and substantiate these findings.

Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Develop Self-Confidence in a Neurodivergent Athlete

This case study outlines the sport psychology service delivery provided to a 17-year-old international-level competitive figure skater. The client had a diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder and reported experiencing low self-confidence, which hindered his performance in training and competition. An acceptance and commitment therapy intervention was implemented over 25 sessions across a 15-month period. The aim of the intervention was to develop self-confidence by encouraging acceptance of unhelpful thoughts, rather than changing or removing them, to move the client toward the athlete he wanted to be. This case offers a novel contribution to the wider literature by reporting an acceptance and commitment therapy intervention to develop self-confidence in sport. We report how psychological flexibility was achieved through exercises to “unhook” the client from his thoughts around perfection and self-imposed pressure. Reflections from the client and practitioner capture the evaluation of the service delivery process.

Using an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Overcome Distractive Overthinking With a High School Baseball Player

The present paper outlines a case study in sport psychology service delivery provided to a 16-year-old high school baseball player. The client reported experiencing distraction from overthinking in training and competition, which hindered his concentration and performance. An acceptance and commitment therapy intervention was implemented over 10 sessions across a 5-month period. The aim of the intervention was to overcome anxiety by encouraging acceptance of unhelpful thoughts, rather than changing or removing them, and helping the client focus on moving toward the athlete he wanted to be. This case offers a novel contribution to the wider literature by reporting an acceptance and commitment therapy intervention addressing performance anxiety in sport. We report how psychological flexibility was achieved through exercises to “unhook” the client from his thoughts around perfection and self-imposed pressure. Reflections from the client and practitioner capture the evaluation of the service delivery process.

Factors Anticipating Adolescents’ Adherence and Dropout in an Online ACT Intervention During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examined factors anticipating adolescents’ (N = 232) adherence and dropout in an online acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention targeted at promoting well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, results showed that adolescents with high academic achievement and educational expectations were more likely to participate in the induction meeting and start the program. Second, adolescents in the human-supported model fulfilled the adherence criteria more often than adolescents supported by virtual coach only. Finally, though male participants were less likely to participate in the study, participants who started the online program were likely to adhere to it regardless of gender.

Preliminary efficacy of an acceptance-based diabetes education (ACT-DE) programme for people with type 2 diabetes on diabetes distress and self-care behaviours: A pilot randomised controlled trial

BackgroundDiabetes distress is often characterised by aversive feelings about diabetes and avoidance of diabetes self-care, leading to suboptimal blood glucose control, diabetes complications and depression. Evidence from a recent review has indicated the potential efficacy of acceptance-based diabetic self-management programmes for improving blood glucose levels and mental health outcomes by fostering psychological flexibility. MethodsWe conducted a two-arm and assessor-blinded pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) with 48 participants aged 18–64 with type 2 diabetes and moderate distress levels, in which we compared a 6-week acceptance and commitment therapy and diabetes education (ACT-DE) programme intervention with diabetes education. Diabetes distress (the primary outcome), self-care behaviour, self-efficacy in diabetes management, and psychological inflexibility were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Focus group interviews were conducted to explore the intervention group's perceptions of the benefits and limitations of the intervention. ResultsResults of ANCOVA test showed that the intervention group exhibited significantly greater decrease in diabetes distress (effect size [Cohen's d] = 0.65), and increase in exercise frequency (d = 1.16), and foot-care frequency (d = 0.59) than the diabetes education group. The qualitative feedback of the intervention group revealed that the learnt ACT skills can be effectively applied in self-care and highlighted the utility of some of the intervention's therapeutic components, primarily mindfulness practices, metaphors, and interactive diabetes education. The intervention was well-accepted, with an 87.5% completion rate, but caution is needed due to a low recruitment rate (28.1%) during COVID-19 pandemic peak. ConclusionThis pilot study confirmed that ACT-DE programme is an acceptable intervention for people with type 2 diabetes. It demonstrated preliminary efficacy with medium-to-large effect sizes in alleviating the participants’ diabetes distress and improving their self-care. Recruitment strategies can be improved to enhance the feasibility. Moreover, a full-scale RCT with longer-term follow-up is warranted to examine the intervention effects on diabetes distress, blood glucose control and other health outcomes.

The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Psychoeducation on Body Image, Quality of Sexual Life, and Dyadic Adjustment of Women After Breast Cancer Surgery.

To determine the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy-based psychoeducation applied to women who have undergone breast cancer surgery on body image, quality of sexual life, and dyadic adjustment. Women who have undergone breast cancer surgery were included. The research had a single-group quasi-experimental design with pre-/post-test measurements and 31 participants. The research was carried out between February and July 2021. Data were collected using a personal information form, a body image perception scale, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and the Sexual Quality of Life-Female. The post-test mean scores of body image, quality of sexual life, and dyadic adjustment scales were significantly higher than pretest (p < 0.05). To improve the body image, quality of sexual life, and dyadic adjustment of women who have undergone breast cancer surgery, nurses are recommended to include psychoeducation based on acceptance and commitment therapy interventions in the nursing care process and to evaluate the effectiveness.

Assessing acceptance and commitment therapy for adolescent mental health: Single-case A-B design with high temporal density assessments

Using a single-case A-B design with high temporal density assessments, the present study examined the impact of a ten-session group-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention on adolescents’ distress, psychological inflexibility, avoidance, cognitive fusion, generalized pliance, and perceived ply workability. Six participants aged 16–19 years (i) attended a weekly ACT group, (ii) submitted ecological momentary assessments daily for 69-days total, and (iii) completed standardized questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. In terms of the ecological momentary assessments, avoidance and pliance ratings significantly decreased across time for most participants. Findings regarding perceived ply workability were less consistent (i.e., although ply workability ratings significantly decreased for three participants, the overall effect was not significant). In terms of the standardized questionnaires, across participants, there were overall negligible changes in distress and pliance, while avoidance and fusion ratings decreased from pre-to post-intervention. Results are discussed with explicit reference to the need for future research that identifies the key mechanisms/processes of change underlying intervention effectiveness.

Feasibility study of a mobile application (ACT-ON) to complement acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention in cancer patients

ObjectivePsychological and physical distress commonly affect cancer patients. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has shown promising results when it comes to ameliorating symptoms that may develop as a result of this. Meanwhile, it has come to light that the impact of psychological interventions may be enhanced by the use of mobile applications. However, to date no mobile applications have been developed to support ACT-based interventions in cancer patients. The aim of the present study is to develop and test the usability of a mobile application designed to complement face-to-face ACT-based therapy in a group of cancer patients undergoing treatment. Materials and methodsA total of thirty-nine patients were recruited to participate in this pilot study. Participants had to be: 18 years of age or over, currently undergoing treatment for breast, lung or colorectal cancer, in stage I–III, a smartphone user with daily internet access. The intervention sessions were administered for a period of eight weeks, one hour per week to groups of four to six participants. Patients had the ACT-ON mobile application at their disposal, which provided them with access to therapy-related activities: mindfulness, metaphors and exercises to clarify values. ResultsThe application obtained adequate adoption (61.54%) and usage (54.17%) rates. Usability and ease of learning scores were as follows: good usability (M = 79.81, SD = 11.87); high usability (M = 80.53, SD = 14.04); ease of learning (M = 37.5, SD = 23.85). DiscussionThis is the first study to develop and evaluate the usability of an application designed to support ACT-based interventions in cancer patients undergoing treatment. The results show that the ACT-ON app is a feasible tool which achieves high levels of usability. However, said results ought to be confirmed by studies that include a larger number of cancer patients.

Web-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for adults with type 1 diabetes: A single case experimental design (SCED)

A randomised multiple-baseline single case experimental design (SCED) was used to examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of an online Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for adults with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Consenting participants reporting diabetes-specific distress (n = 25) were randomised to baseline length (1–3 weeks) before completing a six-week online ACT intervention, followed by one-month follow-up (FU). The primary outcome assessed generic and diabetes-specific well-being, measured at pre, post, and FU using the Well-Being Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were: diabetes-dependent quality of life (Audit of Diabetes-Dependent Quality of Life at pre, post, FU); mood and anxiety measured daily using visual analogue scales (VAS); diabetes self-management (daily self-management activities VAS, and pre, post, FU measurements using the Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire); glycaemic control (information from continuous glucose monitoring devices and daily self-monitoring of blood glucose); and psychological flexibility (Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory at pre, post, FU). Nine participants completed all phases of the study, rating the intervention as highly acceptable. Most participants showed clinically significant improvements in generic well-being (n = 5) and diabetes-specific well-being (n = 7) at follow-up. Diabetes-dependent QoL reliably improved at follow-up for three participants. Improvements in mood (n = 7) and anxiety (n = 6) were observed across phase comparisons. Most participants reported a significant increase in physical activity (n = 5) across phases. A positive trend of increased time in blood glucose range from baseline to intervention was observed for four participants. Psychological flexibility significantly increased from baseline to follow-up for seven participants. Interpretation of the findings was considered in the context of limitations including high rates of attrition (55%).

Manfaat Intervensi Acceptance and Commitment Therapy dalam Menurunkan Kecemasan dan Perilaku Adiktif pada Pasien NAPZA

This study aims to analyze the benefits of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy interventions in reducing anxiety and addictive behavior in drug patients. The method used is a systematic review through article searches adjusted for the formulation of research questions with the PICO formula in the Clinicalkey for Nursing, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, Scopus, and EBSCOhost databases. The results showed that the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention was able to effectively reduce anxiety and addictive behavior in drug patients. In conclusion, the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy intervention can reduce anxiety and addictive behavior in drug patients.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Anxiety, Drugs

ACT2COPE: A pilot randomised trial of a brief online acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for people living with chronic health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic

ACT2COPE: A pilot randomised trial of a brief online acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for people living with chronic health conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Effect of a group-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) intervention on self-esteem and psychological flexibility in patients with schizophrenia in remission.

The present study explored whether acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a cognitive behavioral therapy approach, could improve the symptoms of schizophrenia spectrum disorders among patients with schizophrenia in remission. A pre- and post-treatment design with two evaluation time points was employed. Sixty outpatients with schizophrenia in remission were randomly divided into two groups: the ACT plus treatment as usual (ACT+TAU) and treatment as usual (TAU) groups. The ACT+TAU group participated in 10 group-based ACT interventions and TAU in the hospital, and the TAU group only received TAU interventions. General psycho-pathological symptoms, self-esteem, and psychological flexibility were assessed before intervention (baseline; pre-test) and after intervention (five weeks; post-test). Results indicated that, compared to the TAU group, the ACT+TAU group exhibited a more significant improvement in general psychopathological symptoms, self-esteem, cognitive fusion, and acceptance and action at post-test. ACT intervention could effectively decrease the general psycho-pathological symptoms and increase self-esteem level and psychological flexibility in people with schizophrenia in remission.