The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Severity of Symptoms and Quality of Life in Soldiers with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and costly clinical disorder, and affects quality of life in patients. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on the severity of symptoms and quality of life in soldiers with IBS. This is a semi-experimental study. The population study was 30 soldiers with IBS who were treated by physicians of Isfahan Shahid Babaei Military base. They had Rome-III diagnostic criteria and consented to enroll in the study. Soldiers randomly assigned to two groups (control group, n=15; experimental group, n=15). Initially, both groups completed the demographic checklist, the frequency and severity of IBS symptoms checklist, and the quality of life questionnaire for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-QOL-34). Then, the experimental group received 8 sessions of acceptance and commitment therapy, while the control group did not receive any psychological treatment. Post-test, the same questionnaires were completed by soldiers. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 18 and covariance analysis. The two groups were matched in terms of age and smoking. Acceptance and commitment therapy significantly reduced the frequency and severity of IBS symptoms and increased the quality of life of soldiers (P=0.001).   According to the relationship between IBS and psychological factors, and also the stressful nature of military service, acceptance and commitment therapy can effectively reduce IBS symptoms and subsequently improve quality of life in soldiers.