Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Group Research Articles

A randomized controlled trial of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder

In recent years, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has become one of the most promising developments in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although cumulative evidence supporting the efficacy of individual ACT as a therapeutic intervention for OCD has been reported, research on the efficacy of group ACT (GACT) remains insufficient. In this study, 72 patients with OCD were randomly assigned equally to the GACT intervention and wait-list control (WLC) groups, and an 8-week program was administered to the GACT group. The symptoms and process measures of the GACT group (N = 34) were compared with those of the WLC group (N = 31) at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and the 8-week follow-up. The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale scores indicated that GACT had a moderate and significant impact on reducing obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms over the treatment period. This continued through to the 8-week follow-up, which resulted in a 39.3% reduction in symptoms, whereas the WLC group did not show any improvement. Process measures, such as psychological flexibility and cognitive fusion, showed significant improvements only in the GACT group. Additionally, changes in cognitive fusion scores were significantly associated with changes in the OC symptoms. These findings support the efficacy of GACT as a treatment for OCD particularly by reducing OC symptoms through cognitive defusion. Our results provide crucial preliminary findings that can serve as a cornerstone for verifying the effectiveness of GACT in OCD treatment.

The Efficacy of Group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Preventing Post-Stroke Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and purposePost-stroke depression (PSD) is a common psychiatric complication of stroke and is associated with the subsequent prognosis, yet still lacking of enough attention. PSD is preventable, and psychotherapy is an alternative prophylactic treatment which needs more solid evidences to confirm its efficacy. In this study, group Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (G-ACT) was performed in acute stroke patients to see if it can effectively relieve depressive symptoms and improve neurological function. The efficacy was also evaluated in stroke patients of different severity. MethodsOne hundred and four hospitalized patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. After baseline evaluation, they were randomly allocated to the intervention (G-ACT) group and the control (usual care) group. Patients in the control group received routine stroke treatment, while those in the intervention group were given additional G-ACT treatment (5 sessions, 45-55 min/session). Both of the two groups were assessed with 24-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-24), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and Barthel Index (BI) at baseline, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months follow-up. Patients were further divided into the mild stroke group (NIHSS 0-3) and the moderate stroke group (NIHSS 4-9), HAMD scores at different time points were also assessed. ResultsThe HAMD score of G-ACT group was significantly lower than that of control group at 1 month (p = 0.018) and 3 months follow-up (p = 0.001). As to the NIHSS score, there was no significant difference between the two groups within the follow-up period (p > 0.05). The BI score of the two groups was statistically different at 2 weeks (p = 0.033) and 1 month (p = 0.019), while no difference was shown at 3 months (p = 0.191). In acute phase, the HAMD score of moderate stroke patients was significantly higher than that of mild ones (p < 0.001). After G-ACT treatment, both mild and moderate stroke patients showed lower HAMD score at 3 months follow-up (p = 0.004; p = 0.033). ConclusionsG-ACT seems to be a viable and effective treatment for preventing PSD in the acute phase of stroke, while the efficacy of which on improving neurological deficits needs to be further evaluated.

大学生の精神的健康に及ぼす集団アクセプタンス&コミットメント・セラピー（G-ACT）の効果—非無作為化パイロット試験—

大学生の精神的健康に及ぼす集団アクセプタンス&コミットメント・セラピー（G-ACT）の効果—非無作為化パイロット試験—

精神科外来における集団アクセプタンス&amp;コミットメント・セラピー（G-ACT）が不安症状と心理的柔軟性に及ぼす効果

本研究では，精神科外来における集団形式のアクセプタンス&コミットメント・セラピー（G-ACT）の効果を検討した。G-ACTは，アクセプタンスとマインドフルネスに関わるエクササイズとホームワーク，コミットメントと行動変容に関わるエクササイズとホームワークを含む全8セッションから構成された。分析は11名（男性5名，女性6名，平均年齢＝38.73±5.93歳）を対象に，G-ACT実施前，実施後，実施後1カ月時点の，STAI, 認知的統制尺度の破局的思考の緩和因子，AAQ-IIの得点を用いて行われた。その結果，G-ACT実施後ならびに実施後1カ月時点において，不安症状の減少と心理的柔軟性の向上が認められた。また，それぞれの変化は中程度から大きな効果であった。以上のことから，G-ACTは不安症状に対して有効であり，本研究は不安症状を抱える患者に対するG-ACTの適用を支持する成果を示すものである。