Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy On Pain-Related Anxiety and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Breast Cancer Patients: A Clinical Trail

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women which leaves a profound impact on their psychosocial health and pain experience. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of group psychotherapy based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on pain-related anxiety and cognitive emotion regulation of women with breast cancer. 

In this quasi-experimental study, subjects were 68 women with breast cancer refereed to Shahid Ghazi Hospitalin Tabriz, Iran who were selected using a convenience sampling method. Then, they were randomly assigned into two groups of intervention (n = 34) and control (n = 34). The intervention group underwent eight 90-min sessions of ACT-based group therapy, while the control group received no any intervention. They completed Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale Short Form and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire before and one week after treatment. Collected ata were analyzed by using t test, chi-square test, ANCOA and MANCOVA. 

This study has obtained its ethical approval from the Research Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (code: IR.TBZMED.REC.1397.287) and has been registered by Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (code: IRCT2017100615590N5).

 The ACT-based intervention improved the dimensions of pain-related anxiety (8.44±1.5) and cognitive regulation of negative (8.40±3.5) and positive (8.39±7.5) affects (P<0.001).

 ACT-based intervention can help breast cancer patients to accept their negative thoughts and current conditions.