Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy on Quality of Life and Resilience of Women With Breast Cancer

Background: Breast cancer diagnosis always causes a great deal of stress andresults in significant changes in the patient’s routine life, which—apart fromphysical injuries—can lead to loss of social functioning and increased risk ofmental disorders. Psychological resilience may be a protective factor in dealingwith stressful clinical situations. The present study aimed at investigating the effectof acceptance and commitment group therapy on the quality of life and resilience ofwomen with breast cancer.Methods: This study had a quasi-experimental, pre-post intervention designwith a control group. Twenty women with breast cancer (stages I or II) wererandomly assigned to an intervention or a control group. The intervention consistedof eight weekly sessions of acceptance and commitment group therapy. Follow-upevaluations were carried out two months after the intervention. The Quality of LifeQuestionnaire-Core ۳۰ (QLQ-C۳۰), Quality of Life Questionnaire-Breast Cancer(QLQ-BR۲۳), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were used inthis study.Results: Sixteen patients completed the study. Compared with the controlgroup, significant improvements were observed in the total and subscale scores onQLQ-C۳۰ (partial η۲ = ۰.۴۰), QLQ-BR۲۳ (partial η۲ = ۰.۷۳), and CD-RISC scores(partial η۲ = ۰.۹۴) and (P < ۰.۰۱) in the intervention group.Conclusion: Acceptance and commitment program appears to be an effectivetherapeutic intervention for improving quality of life and resilience of breast cancerpatients. Therefore, we suggest that this intervention be provided along with medicaltreatments to improve quality of life and resilience of breast cancer patients.

Keywords:

Acceptance and commitment therapy , quality of life(QOL) , resilience , breast cancer