Seyyed Mehdi Mirsharifa - Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran
Bahram Mirzaian - Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran
Yarali Dousti - Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

Introduction: Given the high prevalence of psychological disorders and the low quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), this study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) matrix on anxiety and quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).Method: This is a quasi-experimental study in which pre-test and post-test design with control group was used. The research population included all people with IBS referring to three hospitals in Tehran in 2017. Among them, 30 patients with IBS were selected by using convenience sampling method and based on inclusion criteria. Then, they were randomly assigned into two groups of experiment (n=15) and control (n=15). Data were collected using Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Health Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (SF-36). The experiment group received ACT matrix for 6 sessions of 90 minutes, but the control group did not receive any treatment. Both groups received and completed questionnaires before the treatment (pre-test) and after the end of treatment (post-test). Findings: Data analysis revealed a significant difference between experiment and control groups in terms of quality of life and anxiety scores in the pre-test and post-test stages (P <0.05), so that the patients in the experiment group at the post-test stage had a lower anxiety score and a higher quality of life score than the control group. Conclusion: ACT matrix is an effective, simple, and practical method for reducing anxiety and improving the quality of life of patients with IBS

Acceptance and commitment therapy; Anxiety; Quality of life; Irritable bowel syndrome