The Effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Perceived Stress, Symptoms of Depression, and Marital Satisfaction in Women With Breast Cancer

Background: Breast cancer is a completely heterogeneous disease caused byinteraction of factors, such as genetic and environmental risks leading to a progressiveaccumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes in breast cancer cells. Moreover, itdeeply affects patients' mental and social health. The present study aimed at examiningthe effect of group commitment-acceptance treatment on perceived stress, symptomsof depression, and marital satisfaction in women with breast cancer.Methods: The present research was a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), thestudy population of which consisted of women with breast cancer referred to AvicennaResearch Institute in Tehran, Iran. The participants were selected randomly usingrandom sampling method and Morgan table, and they were assigned to 2 groups oftrial (20 individuals) and control (20 individuals). The trial group underwent 8sessions (each taking 2 hours) for 1 month and received therapy in mindempowerment clinic based on acceptance and commitment, but the control groupreceived no therapy except the routine management. Both groups were examined interms of psychology using standardized questionnaires. Afterwards, the collected datawere analyzed using mean and standard deviation, t-test, univariate analysis ofcovariance, and multivariate analysis of covariance by employment of SPSS software.Results: The results of analysis of covariance indicated that the performed therapyimproved the level of perceived stress, symptoms of depression, and maritalsatisfaction in the trial group. The calculated eta-squared (0.40) indicated that 40% ofindividual differences in post test scores of perceived stress, marital satisfaction, andsymptoms of depression is related to ACT. In addition, the results of univariateanalysis of covariance indicated that 48% of individual differences in scores ofperceived stress, 63% of individual differences in scores of marital satisfaction, and58% of individual differences in scores of symptoms of depression were related toACT.Conclusions: The results of the present study show that acceptance-commitmentgroup therapy is effective and productive in reduction of psychological problems ofwomen with breast cancer. The findings of this study, in general, provide anexperimental support for ACT in terms of reduction of psychological problems ofpatients with cancer.

The Effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Perceived Stress, Symptoms of Depression, and Marital Satisfaction in Women With Breast Cancer Keywords:

Breast cancer , perceived stress , marital satisfaction , symptoms of depression , acceptance-commitmenttherapy (ACT)