Comparative study of the of effect of “acceptance and commitment therapy” and “stress inoculation training” on the stress symptoms in people with broken heart syndrome

Aim. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of “acceptance and commitment therapy” and “stress inoculation training” on stress symptoms in people with broken heart syndrome.
Background. Stress is considered to be the main driving force of broken heart syndrome, while broken heart syndrome also causes stress. It seems that training the patient for correct use of coping strategies during stressful events is effective in preventing recurrence.
Method. In this quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design with control group, 62 people referred to Tohid Hospital in Sanandaj during 2016-2017 and had been diagnosed as with broken heart syndrome were considered as accessible population, out of which 30 patients were recruited by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to three groups. Research tool was the stress syndrome scales in Persian language. For intervention groups, the acceptance and commitment therapy and stress inoculation training interventions was conducted in weekly sessions. The questionnaire were filled out before intervention, after intervention and one month after intervention by the three groups. Data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Findings. Compared with control group, acceptance and commitment therapy (F=87.65, P≤0.0001) and stress inoculation training (F=61.18, P≤0.0001) were effective in reducing stress symptoms and the effect of the acceptance and commitment therapy was remarkable. In addition to the stability of the effect of both interventions one month after intervention, the effect of acceptance and commitment therapy was found to be superior to stress inoculation training.
Conclusion. Both modalities; especially acceptance and commitment therapy, can be used as effective methods with wide applicability in preventing and reducing symptoms of stress and improving the status of people with broken heart syndrome.