Comparing the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and physiotherapy on quality of life and paincatastrophizing in patients with chronic pain

Background and aims: Chronic pain is a common health problem that affects various aspects of life. Acceptance and commitment therapy(ACT) seems to be helpful in improving the quality of life and pain catastrophizing in patients with chronic pain. The purpose of this studywas to compare the efficacy of ACT and physiotherapy on quality of life and pain catastrophizing in patients with chronic pain.Methods: The subjects were ۷۵ women suffering from chronic pain who were considered for physiotherapy. They were randomly dividedinto ۳ groups including ACT, physiotherapy, and control groups. The control group consisted of ۲۵ patients who were on the waiting list forphysiotherapy. The first group participated in ۸ sessions of ACT, the second group attended ۱۰ sessions of physiotherapy, and the controlgroup received no treatment. The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) developed by Sullivan et al and the World Health Organization Qualityof Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire were used in this study.Results: The results showed that the quality of life in the ACT group was significantly higher than that in the physiotherapy group andcontrol group (P < ۰.۰۰۱). Moreover, there was no significant difference between the ACT and physiotherapy groups in reducing paincatastrophizing (P > ۰.۰۵), while this difference was significant between the ACT and control groups (P < ۰.۰۰۱).Conclusion: In general, ACT leads to a reduction in pain catastrophizing and an increase in the quality of life of patients with chronic pain.Therefore, beside the current therapy like physiotherapy, ACT can be used as another therapeutic choice for patients with chronic pain.

Keywords:

Acceptance and commitment therapy , Pain catastrophizing , Quality of life